Amritsar, May 11 – Amid escalating military hostilities between India and Pakistan following the Indian Air Force’s targeted strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Indian security forces foiled a major arms smuggling attempt near the international border in Punjab.
In a joint intelligence-driven operation on Sunday, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police intercepted a suspected drone-dropped arms consignment near Sheikh Bhatti village, close to the Indo-Pak border in Amritsar district.
“Based on credible inputs, our teams launched a coordinated operation and recovered a significant cache of arms and explosives,” a senior BSF official said.
The seized material included approximately 2.7 kilograms of suspected RDX, two detonators, one improvised explosive device (IED) circuit, two hand grenades with accompanying accessories, two pistols, four magazines, and 30 live rounds. The consignment, wrapped in yellow plastic and secured with a metal wire loop, was discovered in an agricultural field and is believed to have been air-dropped by a drone from across the border.
Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh confirmed that the recovered cache has been taken into custody and a case has been registered. “An FIR has been lodged and a detailed investigation is underway to trace the network behind this attempted infiltration,” Singh said.
The arms drop comes at a time of high alert following India’s precision airstrikes on May 6, which destroyed at least nine terrorist training camps operating in Pakistan and PoK. The strikes were carried out in response to the killing of 26 civilians in Pahalgam, allegedly by Pakistan-based terrorists.
Since then, border tensions have sharply increased, with multiple missile and drone attacks reported. India’s air defense units have managed to neutralize most of the incoming threats, preventing damage and casualties.
Security officials believe the intercepted arms consignment was part of a broader terror plot orchestrated by a Pakistan-based syndicate aiming to exploit the ongoing conflict. “Even during heightened military engagement, these groups are attempting to smuggle arms to incite violence and destabilize the region,” a BSF source said.
Authorities remain on high alert, and surveillance has been intensified along sensitive stretches of the border to prevent further infiltration attempts.
