BSF foils major smuggling bid along IB in Jammu’s Arnia

Arteev Sharma
Tribune News Service
Jammu, September 20

The alert Border Security Force (BSF) personnel foiled Pakistan’s major attempt to smuggle arms and narcotics into Indian territory in Arnia area of RS Pura sector of Jammu division during the intervening night of September 19 and 20.

“The consignment containing 62 packets of narcotics (suspected heroine) weighing 1-kg each, two pistols (China made), three magazines and 100 rounds of 9 mm ammunition were recovered near IB on Indian side, which were concealed in plastic bags tied with a rope and a PVC pipe,” N S Jamwal, Inspector General (IG), BSF, Jammu Frontier said.

Jamwal said there were inputs from the intelligence branch of BSF and police about a possible attempt from Pakistan to smuggle a consignment of drugs and weapons.

The IG said, “Acting on a specific input, the vigilant troops of BOPs (Border Out Posts) Budhwar and Bullechak observed suspicious movement of three-four persons on Pakistan side near International Border around 2 am in the night and challenged them after two to three of them came closer to the border fence to sneak into this side. However, they fired on BSF troops who immediately retaliated in self-defence.”

Jamwal said they (anti-national elements), however, took the advantage of darkness and thick foliage, and managed to flee back.

“We will lodge a strong protest note with Pakistan along with evidence and are hopeful that they would initiate strong action against the people involved in the failed smuggling attempt,” Jamwal said.

To a query, the IG said it was for the first time that the anti-national elements used PVC pipe to hide the narcotics to facilitate its smuggling into the Union Territory. Congratulating the alert BSF troops for achievement, he said they again foiled the “nefarious motive of Pakistan”.

The smuggling bid has been foiled close on the heels of recovery of drone-dropped arms and ammunition from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district on Friday. Security forces had also arrested three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants in Rajouri after they picked the arms consignment and Rs 1 lakh in cash.

On June 20, security forces shot down an arms-laden Pakistani drone at Rathua in Kathua district’s Hiranagar sector. The BSF authorities had also detected a trans-border tunnel in the Jammu division’s Samba sector last month.