CHANDIGARH: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday shot dead five Pakistani intruders along the international border in Tarn Taran sector of Punjab and seized multiple weapons and drugs.
A senior BSF officer said that the five armed Pakistani nationals had entered the Indian territory overnight on Friday and were hiding across the fence.
The alert troops of BSF’s 103rd battalion noticed the suspicious movement at night at Dal outpost under the Khalra police station of Tarn Taran district.
“Around 4.45 am on the Saturday morning, as the troopers started searching the area, they were fired upon. The BSF soldiers retaliated in self-defence killing the five intruders.
An AK-47 rifle with two magazines, four 9 mm Beretta pistols with seven magazines and 109 rounds of ammunition were seized along with two mobile phones and nine packets of heroin weighing 9.920 kg,’’ he said.
He said it was being ascertained if the intruders were smugglers or terrorists. An intensive search operation along the intentional border is under way, he said.
A photo collage released by the BSF showed two bodies piled up on each other while the other three lying separately in the slushy green grass. Some weapons and backpacks were visible in the photographs.
BSF Inspector General (Punjab Frontier) Manipal Yadav told media in Amarkot that the five men had “crossed the international border and entered into the Indian territory”.
He said the local police will now probe the case and scan the data of the two mobile phones found with the bodies. Officials said the BSF has seized over 356 kg heroin and 25 illegal weapons so far this year.
The troops, officials said, used thermal imaging, night surveillance devices and also set up multiple ambushes to track down the infiltrators.
Sources said under a pilot project, the BSF is working on a smart fence along the intentional border in Punjab.
The fence will consist of laser walls, thermal imagers and sensors to detect intrusion in places where a physical fence cannot come up due to the terrain.
The BSF is also procuring drones as well as counter-drone technology on a priority basis. Trials are also being conducted for portable ground penetrating radars to detect cross-border tunnels, pinpoint land mines and improvised explosive devices and buried contraband.
BSF working on smart fence to detect intruders This smart fence will consist of laser walls, thermal imagers and sensors to detect intrusion where a physical fence cannot come up due to the terrain