Major Narcotics Bust: BSF Intercepts Drone, Recovers Rs 11 Crore Heroin Near Pakistan Border
In a significant anti-narcotics operation, the Border Security Force (BSF), in close coordination with local police, successfully recovered 2.235 kilograms of heroin valued at approximately Rs 11 crore from the border region under the Karanpur police station area in Sriganganagar district on Monday. This operation highlights the escalating threat of cross-border drone-based smuggling activities.
Intelligence-Led Vigilance Thwarts Drone Drop
According to authoritative BSF sources, specific intelligence inputs had forewarned of an imminent drone-based heroin drop scheduled to occur in the Karanpur sector. Acting swiftly on this critical information, the BSF immediately heightened its vigilance along the sensitive international border and established special nakas (checkpoints) at multiple strategic locations under BSF Outpost 3 FC.
Late on Sunday night, alert BSF jawans detected the distinct sound of a drone approaching from the Pakistani side. Moments later, they observed an object being dropped into a nearby agricultural field. A meticulous and rapid search operation was launched, leading to the discovery of three suspicious packets containing the illicit substance.
Smugglers Evade Capture, Joint Manhunt Intensifies
The consignment is strongly believed to have been dispatched by Pakistani-based smugglers operating across the border. Unfortunately, the individuals who arrived at the scene to collect the dropped narcotics managed to escape under the cover of darkness before security forces could apprehend them.
In response, surveillance and security measures were dramatically intensified across the entire area. The local police were promptly informed, and a comprehensive joint blockade, coupled with an extensive search operation, was initiated to trace and locate the fleeing suspects. Sriganganagar Superintendent of Police Harishankar Yadav confirmed that official proceedings are currently underway to register a formal case at the Karanpur police station.
Context of a Larger Smuggling Nexus
This latest recovery occurs merely a day after another major narcotics seizure in the nearby Chak 19 O area, where security forces recovered a staggering 12.167 kilograms of heroin worth an estimated Rs 60 crore from a kinnu field. In that operation, four accused individuals—identified as Sandeep Singh, Rajendra Kumar, Balwant Singh, and Pawan Kumar—were successfully arrested.
Police sources have indicated that a Punjab-based smuggler named Gurmelsingh escaped during the earlier Chak 19 O operation. He is now a prime suspect and is believed to be actively coordinating these drone-based narcotics consignments from across the Pakistan border.
Officials have emphasized that the Srikaranpur and Ghadsana sectors remain critically vulnerable corridors for this new and dangerous trend of cross-border drone-based narcotics smuggling. The back-to-back seizures underscore the persistent challenges and the sophisticated methods employed by transnational smuggling networks, necessitating continuous vigilance and enhanced technological countermeasures by Indian security forces.
