File photo: BSF officers showing 24 kilogram of heroin valued Rs 120 crore in international market, recovered from Smugglers on Saturday. (PTI)
Two suspected Pakistani smugglers, carrying 12 kg heroin worth Rs 60 crores, were shot dead by the Border Security Force or BSF on the Indo-Paki border as they were trying to sneak into the Indian territory, BSF officials said today.
Confirming the encounter at the border outpost Rattan Khurd, Deputy Inspector General RPS Jaswal said, "the duo were challenged by BSF personnel and were repeatedly asked to surrender, but they ignored the warnings and kept marching towards Indian territory while firing at the troops. That invited retaliation from the jawans and, during the exchange, the two were shot dead." BSF has recovered an AK-47 assault rifle along with 12-kg of heroin.
The agency is in the process of establishing the identity of the two suspects.
BSF said it may investigate who the Indian contacts were for whom the intruders had brought the drug consignment and the rifle.
A Pakistani smuggler carrying 24-kg heroin was yesterday shot dead by BSF troops near Ajnala village on the Indo-Pakistan border in Amritsar.
The intruder had tried to enter Indian territory near a border outpost at Majhmian, Jaswal had said, adding that 24-kg heroin with a street value of Rs 120 crore was recovered from near his body.