AMRITSAR: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday successfully thwarted a significant cross-border arms smuggling operation near the international border with Pakistan in the Ajnala-Ramdass area of Punjab. The operation led to the seizure of a substantial cache of sophisticated weapons and ammunition, including 25 foreign-made pistols and an AK-47 rifle.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that a 22-year-old man was apprehended during the extensive operation. Security agencies also recovered magazines, ammunition, and a bulletproof jacket along with the firearms. The accused has been identified as Rohan Khosla, a resident of Roop Nagar Colony, Gate Hakima, Amritsar.
BSF sources indicated that specific intelligence inputs had suggested the impending transportation of a large consignment of arms and ammunition, purportedly dropped by drones originating from across the border. In response, BSF teams established multiple checkpoints and lay in wait for the smugglers in the strategic locations.
The interception took place around 9:30 p.m. when an off-white Hyundai i20 was stopped by BSF personnel near a poultry farm on a link road adjacent to National Highway 354. The driver of the vehicle, upon questioning, failed to provide a coherent explanation for his presence in the area and exhibited behaviour deemed suspicious by the officers. A subsequent thorough search of the vehicle uncovered three plastic bags containing the extensive collection of arms and ammunition.
The seized weaponry comprised pistols from various international manufacturers, including Glock (Austria), Canik and Tisas (Turkey), Taurus (Brazil), Walther (Germany), CZ-100 (Czech Republic), Norinco (China), and Cugir Romania. An AK-47 rifle, which preliminary assessments suggest may be locally assembled, was also among the recovered items. In addition to the firearms, BSF personnel confiscated 47 pistol magazines, one AK-47 magazine, a bulletproof jacket, and over 360 rounds of ammunition in various calibres.
Authorities are investigating the possibility that the consignment was air-dropped by drones that penetrated Indian airspace on the intervening night of June 16 and 17. Evidence such as impact damage to some magazines and the presence of thermocol packaging, typically used to cushion items during aerial drops, lend credence to this theory.
During initial interrogation, the arrested individual reportedly stated that his intention was to collect the weapons and deliver them to another party. However, the BSF’s swift action prevented the transfer of the illicit goods.
The recovered weapons, the vehicle used in the attempted smuggling, and the apprehended individual have been transferred to the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) in Amritsar for further in-depth investigation. Security agencies are actively probing potential connections between this seized consignment and established cross-border smuggling networks, as well as organised criminal syndicates operating within Punjab.
Further investigations are ongoing by BSF officials with the objective of identifying the intended recipients and the individuals orchestrating this smuggling attempt. The operation highlights the persistent efforts by security forces to maintain the integrity of the border and thwart attempts to introduce illegal arms into the region.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
