Pakistan smuggler remanded in 4-day police custody

Abu Bakar, a Pakistani national arrested with 10 kg of heroin, was remanded in four-day police custody by a court in Tarn Taran.

The accused was arrested in a joint operation by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Border Security Force (BSF) from the Khemkaran sector along the Indo-Pak border in Tarn Taran district on Monday.

According to initial reports, he allegedly crossed the barbed fencing to enter the Indian territory.

However, the BSF refuted the claim. Atul Fulzale, IG, BSF Punjab Frontier, said the accused was nabbed ahead of the border security fence by jawans. “He did not cross the fencing as being claimed,” he clarified.

According to the NCB, Bakar (22), a resident of Chatwali village in Kasur of Pakistan, has been involved in the illegal drug trade for the past a year and half. Earlier, he allegedly smuggled contraband into India using drones.

Investigators are now probing the specific routes used by the accused, including possible entry points in the Khemkaran sector.

A senior NCB official said the accused had links not only with Pakistan-based anti-national elements but also with drug and arms smugglers operating from Canada.

The NCB is also examining his possible connections with Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the banned terror outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), besides tracing his local contacts in Punjab.

Multiple central agencies are likely to question the accused.

Another intruder held

The Amritsar rural police arrested another Pakistani national, identified as Muhammad Ashfaq (47), a resident of Muridke. He was apprehended near the Rajatal border outpost area after he allegedly crossed into India without valid travel documents. The arrest was made during routine surveillance and patrolling along the border.