Chandigarh, August 15 (HS): In a swift and coordinated action ahead of Independence Day, the Border Security Force (BSF) tightened its grip along Punjab’s frontier, thwarting Pakistan’s latest attempts to breach Indian security. Within hours, the force nabbed a suspect near the Sutlej river in Ferozepur and seized a drone loaded with weapons and heroin in Amritsar district.

According to senior BSF officials, the first operation was executed on Wednesday night in the Ferozepur sector near Hajara village. Acting on intelligence that an infiltrator might attempt to cross into India under cover of darkness, BSF troops laid a ‘river ambush’ and intensified patrols. The suspect was caught along the Sutlej bank. Preliminary interrogation suggests possible links to a Pakistani network, which are currently under investigation.

The second strike came in Nissoke village, Amritsar, where BSF’s intelligence wing had been alerted to a planned cross-border drop using a drone. Troops cordoned off fields and launched a search, soon recovering a quadcopter hidden in the grass.

But this was no ordinary drone — its payload contained two pistols, four magazines, 100 live cartridges, and four packets of heroin weighing 4.135 kg, valued at several crores in the international narcotics market.

Officials noted that the security challenge along the border has now become dual-fronted — conventional infiltration attempts on one side, and modern tech-based incursions via drones on the other. These drones are typically flown at night using GPS and auto-pilot, allowing operators to remain safely within Pakistani territory.

“Today, our eyes must be on the ground and in the sky alike,” a senior BSF officer said. “That’s why we are integrating high-tech sensors, night-vision gear, and robust local intelligence to counter every possible threat.”

With heightened vigilance and tech-enabled monitoring, BSF appears determined to keep the Punjab border airtight against both age-old tactics and high-tech intrusions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar