Kolkata, July 11 : The Border Security Force (BSF) succeeded in arresting two smugglers and seizing a large quantity of narcotics along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal on Friday.

A jawan of the 143 Bn BSF sustained injuries to his left arm after being attacked with a machete, known as a Dah.

"Despite coming under deadly attack, the BSF troops, though initially outnumbered, did not leave their posts and exercised maximum restraint, thereby thwarting a major drug-smuggling attempt from India to Bangladesh," said N K Pandey, DIG and spokesperson, South Bengal Frontier, BSF.

According to him, the incident happened around 1.50 am after a jawan posted at the Tarali-1 Border Outpost deployed at the forward checkpost spotted three to four persons approaching the border fence from the Indian side. They were carrying headloads.

The jawan challenged them, but the group was not deterred. Instead of giving up or retreating, they started abusing the BSF personnel and pelting stones. They also focused the beams of powerful torches on his eyes to temporarily blind him.

"The brave jawan stood his ground and fired a shot from his Pump-Action Gun (PAG) in the air. The aim was to scare away the attackers. Instead of moving away, the miscreants surrounded him and attacked with the Dah, injuring him in the arm. Other troops reached the spot at that time, and the smugglers attempted to flee, taking advantage of the darkness and the nearby houses. The jawans chased them and succeeded in nabbing two," the DIG said.

A search of the area led to the seizure of 10 kg of Ganja and 100 bottles of banned Phensesdyl cough syrup. A machete was also seized. After interrogation, the two men have been handed over to the appropriate department for further legal processing. The seized items have also been handed over.

Pandey pointed to how BSF jawans fall victim to such violence during the course of their duties.

"Our jawans continue to perform their responsibilities with exceptional courage, dedication, and vigilance under such challenging conditions. Despite repeated flag meetings with the BGB to alert them about forced infiltrations and ongoing attacks by Bangladeshi criminals, no concrete action has been taken so far from their side. This inaction has even more emboldened the smugglers and criminals. However, BSF personnel remain fully capable of securing the borders and safeguarding the nation under all circumstances," he said.

/IANS