While Punjab may be known for a lot of things such as its open fields, colourful festivals and extremely warm and welcoming people, the state clearly has a dark side to it in the form of rampant drug abuse. And this fact is often said to have worked in the favour of the neighbouring nation of Pakistan.
Though there are numerous regulations in place and the vigil at the border has been tightened, an Intel report suggests that Pakistan has now started using trained divers to smuggle drugs into the state. Smugglers have started taking the help of these divers to transport the drugs through the 35 kilometre long rivers that flow through the Ferozpur, Gurdaspur and Amritsar areas, reported the Times of India.
Intelligence officers explained that these divers were trained professionals who used the complete gears and were well-versed with the waters of Satluj and Ravi rivers. It was also revealed that all communication was done through WhatsApp, which is a safe mode as the app features end-to-end encryption.
The new method came to light after a peddler was arrested in the area and on questioning, he said that he has received the consignment through a diver.
"We are using various methods, including technology, to seal the unfenced riverine gaps, but scuba divers are proving to be a real challenge," a BSF officer told TOI. He also said that the divers were trained well and used re-breathers so that bubbles do not appear on the surface and they go undetected.
Apart from the divers, the cross-border smugglers are also said to be using farmers to transport drugs into the state.
However, the BSF believes that the smuggling of heroin from Pakistan has seen a decline in 2017, and may just be the lowest in the last six years. The officials said that security along the border is much tighter after the Dinanagar and Pathankot terror attacks and the force have even been given "shoot on sight" orders, which might be the reason behind this drop.
"The year is coming to an end and we don't think the smugglers across the border are as active as they used to be in the past. Now, we simply open fire when we see any activity on our side. The low seizure does not mean that we have become complacent. Our alertness has increased and drug supply has dipped," an officer told Hindustan Times.
"Vigil has been increased along the border in Punjab in past one year and now on every half a kilometre, you will see a BSF trooper keeping watch on activities on the other side of the fence," another added.
The BSF has reportedly seized 163 kg of heroin until now this year as opposed to 242 kg seized in 2016.
