Jalandhar: The Border Security Force (BSF) has recovered a cache of assault weapons, suspected to have been smuggled from across the border, during a patrol along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab on Tuesday.
Three AK series rifles along with six magazines, 2 M3 sub-machine guns with four magazines and two pistols along with two magazines were unearthed by the personnel of the border force from the Ferozepur sector in the early hours, officials said.
The weapons are suspected to have been smuggled in from Pakistan, they said.
Punjab the point of entry for weapons smuggled from Pak
The supply of arms and ammunition by Pakistan through drones has led to an increase in activity at the Indo-Pakistan border. The neighbouring country is, however, more keen on using the border in Punjab than any other, including the one in Jammu.
For Pakistan-based terror outfits, the Indo-Pak border in Punjab is the favoured route when it comes to weapon supply. The border in Rajasthan and Gujarat, which would record a few cases of weapons smuggling, recorded no such case in 2021.
According to data compiled by Border Security Force (BSF), the Punjab border has recorded 450 per cent more seizures than the Jammu border, which used to be a priority route. Data also points to Pakistan’s intentions towards India as 2021 was the year when the neighbour attempted maximum chances to send weapons across since 2019. The figure has been increasing every year.
The total number of weapons seized in 2019 and 2020 was not even half the total seized last year. In 2019 and 2020, BSF seized 49 weapons from the Indo-Pak border in Punjab, but in 2021, the force seized 58.
(with inputs from PTI)
