In one of the largest arms seizures in recent months, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police jointly arrested an alleged cross-border smuggler and confiscated a significant cache of sophisticated weapons and ammunition near the International Border in the Ajnala-Ramdas sector on Friday.
Seized Weapons and Evidence
The recovered consignment included an AK-47 assault rifle, 25 pistols of various foreign makes, 368 live cartridges, 48 magazines, and a USA-made bulletproof vest. Authorities also impounded a car (registration number PB02EJ2347) suspected to have been used for transporting the weapons.
Operation Details
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav stated that the BSF intelligence wing received specific inputs regarding the movement of a drone-delivered arms consignment near the Shahpur border outpost in the Ramdas area. Acting on this information, BSF and Punjab Police teams intercepted a suspect identified as Rohan Khosla (22), a resident of Roop Nagar Colony, Gate Hakima, Amritsar, near Harar Khurd village on the Ajnala-Ramdas road.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused was allegedly acting on the directions of an Australia-based associate, who shared the weapon drop location through a social media application.
Drone-Dropped Consignment
According to BSF sources, intelligence inputs indicated that a large cache of arms and ammunition would be transported in a white car after being collected from a drone-dropping zone. Multiple checkpoints and ambushes were subsequently set up in the area.
“Around 9:30 pm, a car was intercepted near a poultry farm on a link road close to NH-354. During questioning, the driver failed to satisfactorily explain his presence in the area and displayed suspicious behavior. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of three plastic bags containing a large quantity of arms and ammunition,” a BSF official said.
Officials suspect the consignment was dropped by drones that entered Indian territory on the intervening night of June 16 and 17. Preliminary examination revealed impact marks on some magazines and traces of thermocol packaging, suggesting the weapons had been air-dropped using protective cushioning.
