New Delhi: Amid Lok Sabha elections in the country, the vigilant troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) seized a suspicious drone near the Pakistan border in Punjab and managed to seize smuggled gold in Tripura worth around 36.6 lakhs in two separate incidents. During the operation, the security personnel deployed in Tripura also arrested a man involved in the smuggling of gold on the India-Bangladesh border.

According to an official of the BSF, the drone was recovered by the security personnel in a joint operation by the BSF and the Punjab police in the state’s Tarn Taran district near the Pakistan border. Based on the intelligence information on May 18 regarding the presence of a drone in the border area, a joint search operation was conducted in the suspected area.

China-made drone recovered near Pakistan border

During the search operation, at around 11.30 am, troops successfully recovered 1 China-made drone from a farming field adjacent to village Rajoke in Tarn Taran District. The drone was seized and further legal action was initiated.

In another operation carried out by the BSF personnel in Tripura, a suspect was arrested with 4 gold bars worth around 36.6 lakhs.  

An official stated that in the fight against the menace of trans-border smuggling in Tripura, the BSF continuously conducts “Special operations” to neutralise the ill designs of trans-border smuggling on the India-Bangladesh International border.

“In the series of operations, on May 18, based on specific BSF input, an ambush was laid by the BSF troops in the area of BOP Nischintapur, where the security personnel observed movement of 2 suspects in between international boundary and border fence. Suspects moving from Bangladesh side to Indian side negotiated the border fence and entered the nearby forest area but alert BSF Ambush party successfully apprehended 1 suspect. The other suspect managed to escape towards the Indian village Nischintpur taking advantage of dense vegetation,” the BSF official stated.

The apprehended person revealed his identity as Prashant Rai (36 yrs), a resident of West Tripura. Frisking of apprehended persons was carried out, during which four bars of gold weighing 466 grams was recovered from his possession.

The accused accepted his involvement in trans-border smuggling of gold and revealed that the consignment was handed over to him by one Bangladeshi smuggler namely Iqbal. Massive search operation being carried out by BSF in the border area to nab the culprit who escaped from the spot.