Amritsar, Feb 4 (IANS): Border Security Force (BSF) troopers Tuesday morning recovered 20 kg of heroin, valued at Rs.100 crore in the international market, BSF officials said here.
The seizure was made following an encounter with smugglers from the Pakistan side near border outpost Bharopal in the Amritsar sector, 30 km from here, a BSF spokesman said.
The contraband was seized following a search operation. The spot is located 150 metres inside the Indian territory.
With the latest seizure, the BSF has seized 82 kg of heroin in the first 35 days of this year. The total heroin seized in 2013 in the Punjab sector was 322 kg.
"BSF personnel at out post Bharopal in the Amritsar sector observed suspicious movement of smugglers along the border fence. When challenged, the smugglers fired at the BSF troops, who retaliated in defence. However, the smugglers, taking advantage of the dense fog, managed to escape back to Pakistan," the spokesman said.
BSF Punjab Frontier Inspector General Ajay Singh Tomar has asked officers and troops to be vigilant along the 553-km India-Pakistan international border in Punjab to thwart smuggling of drugs. The troops are extra vigilant during the winter months when dense fog hampers visibility in the border belt.
Amritsar is about 250 km from the state capital Chandigarh.