Amritsar (Punjab) [India], March 14 (ANI): The Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday handed over a Pakistani national to the Pakistan Rangers at the International Boundary (IB) in the Amritsar district of Punjab. The individual had inadvertently crossed into Indian territory the previous day, as per the Border Security Force (BSF) statement.

BSF personnel noticed suspicious movement near the border adjacent to Mullakot village in the Amritsar district on Thursday evening. The troops swiftly apprehended the individual upon unauthorised entry into Indian territory.

Following a detailed inquiry by BSF and intelligence agencies, it was determined that the Pakistani national had crossed the IB unknowingly. A search of his belongings revealed no suspicious items apart from personal effects.

On Friday, the BSF and Pakistan Rangers convened a flag meeting at the latter's request. During the discussions, Indian officials raised concerns over Pakistani authorities' failure to prevent such unauthorised crossings. Subsequently, around 4:30 pm, the detained Pakistani citizen was repatriated on humanitarian grounds as a goodwill gesture.

The BSF reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining strict vigilance along the border while upholding humanitarian considerations in appropriate cases.

On March 8, in a joint operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) apprehended two drug smugglers near the Amritsar border, officials said.

The operation, based on intelligence from the BSF intelligence wing, marked the second successful joint operation of the day.

According to BSF (Punjab Frontier) PRO, the authorities set up an ambush when they noticed two suspected persons coming on motorcycles at around 2:20 PM. After a brief chase, one of the smugglers was captured while the other managed to escape.

As this happened, the authorities recovered one packet of suspected heroin weighing 506 grams, a smartphone, three ATM cards, and a Bajaj Platina motorcycle from the apprehended smuggler. The packet that had narcotics was wrapped in yellow adhesive tape, and a steel ring was attached to it, indicating that the consignment was dropped by a Pakistani drone.

The apprehended smuggler has been identified as a resident of Saidpur Village in Amritsar. This successful apprehension and recovery took place near Village Jasraur, under the jurisdiction of Bhindi Saidan police station. (ANI)