Kolkata, March 22 : The Border Security Force (BSF) has claimed to have arrested a Bangladeshi smuggler with 3.38 kg heroin along the India-Bangladesh border in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

The value of the seized narcotics is estimated to be nearly Rs 6,77,40,000 in the black market.

"Troops of the Pirojpur Border Outpost received specific intelligence regarding an attempt to smuggle narcotics across the IBB. The input stated that the narcotics would be smuggled from the Sadamachar area. Vigil along the border was stepped up. Around 4 p.m., the jawans spotted two men approaching the border from the Indian side. On being challenged, the two attempted to flee. The BSF troops managed to apprehend one of them," said N.K. Pandey, DIG and spokesperson, South Bengal Frontier, BSF.

The troops had spotted the men dropping some packets into the dense bushes near the border before their escape attempt. A thorough search led to the seizure of five packets. They contained some brown powdery substance. The contents were weighed and sent for tests. The test result revealed that the brown substance is heroin.

"During questioning, the arrested man confessed that he was a Bangladeshi and had sneaked across the unfenced border with the aim to smuggle items. One of his Indian associates had handed him the packets, with instructions to deliver them to a person in Bangladesh. He was to receive some money for this job. He, along with the narcotics, has been handed over to the concerned agency for further legal action," Pandey said.

He added that this successful operation marks a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to curb smuggling along the India-Bangladesh border, particularly in the fight against drugs.

He emphasised that the credit for this accomplishment goes entirely to the courageous BSF personnel who tirelessly perform their duty on the border with unwavering vigilance day and night. Such operations act as a morale dampener for smugglers and cross-border criminals, he said.

/IANS