Two detained over heroin smuggling along Pak border

BIKANER The Bikaner police on Thursday night detained two of four accused involved in smuggling heroin worth over ₹200 crores along Pakistan border.

The Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday foiled an infiltration attempt by suspected smugglers from Pakistan along the International Border (IB) in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district and recovered 56 kg of heroin. Rajasthan shares a 1,037km-long border with Pakistan.

Superintendent of Police, Bikaner, Preeti Chandra said two of the four accused involved in smuggling heroin are detained, they are native of Punjab. Three of the four had moved towards the fencing to get heroin, while one remained in the vehicle. They were in contact with paddlers in Pakistan through internet calling.

She said the information received will be shared with higher agencies.

Officials of Bikaner police, BSF, IB, CID, MI and Narcotics jointly interrogated the detained accused at a police station in Bikaner.

On the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, BSF sensed suspicious movement at the Border which was followed by firing of warning shots by the sentry, forcing the smugglers to flee. During a search after the incident, 54 packets of suspected Heroin, weighing over 56 kgs approximately, were recovered. The 127 Battalion of BSF guards the Bondli border outpost falling under Khajuwala police station.

The Bikaner police sounded alert across all police station and check posts to nab the smugglers. The villagers informed beat constables of suspicious movement of two suspects. The police team nabbed the two from fields.

An official familiar with the development said in the preliminary interrogation it is found that all four are native of Punjab and works to transport the smuggle drugs for masterminds operating from Punjab jails. They contact each other and people in Pakistan through internet calling.

“The probe will be conducted by narcotics bureau and the accused has been handed over to them,” he said.

Smugglers’ common modus operandi is to hurl packets of drugs across the border, which are picked up by their local associates and passed on to couriers, who take it to distributors in different cities, a BSF intelligence officer said, seeking anonymity.