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According to BSF data, the most striking figure comes from the seizure of rifles and other arms, which touched 454 pieces by June 2025, compared to just 17 in 2021
BSF units seized 22.4 kg of explosives up to June 2025, compared to just 0.3 kg in 2021. (PTI)
The first half of 2025 has witnessed a dramatic surge in the recoveries of arms, explosives, and detonators primarily along the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh border, raising fresh alarms for security agencies tasked with internal security, cross-border smuggling and infiltration.
Official data reveals that this year could break a decade-old record of recoveries, showing both the BSF’s heightened vigilance and the growing magnitude of attempts to push weapons and narcotics into India.
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The most striking figure comes from the seizure of rifles and other arms, which touched 454 pieces by June 2025, compared to just 17 in 2021—an unprecedented 2,568 per cent rise in four years. Overall, the Border Security Force (BSF) has confiscated 662 weapons in the first six months of this year, nearly double last year’s total and more than four times the tally in 2021.
Explosives recovery has also set off alarm bells. BSF units seized 22.4 kg of explosives up to June 2025, compared to just 0.3 kg in 2021—a 7,363 per cent jump. Security officials say this spike reflects a worrying pattern of attempts to smuggle explosives for use in terror activities.
Other categories of recoveries have also seen sharp increases. The number of detonators seized surged to 681 this year, a more than 220 per cent rise since 2021. Similarly, wireless sets, often used by infiltrators and smuggling networks, have gone up nearly 193 per cent, with 41 units seized till June. Country-made weapons, a common tool for local criminal networks, have also risen by nearly 200 per cent since 2021.
Importantly, agencies and security forces intercepted perpetrators of Pahalgam attack through wireless sets locations which they used to carry to talk to their masters in Pakistan.
“Such recoveries highlight the scale of attempts being made to destabilise border regions. While the BSF has successfully intercepted large consignments, the numbers themselves are a warning sign,” said a senior government official on condition of anonymity.
While weapons and explosives show dramatic increases, narcotics seizures have seen a dip, with Rs 684 crore worth of narcotics recovered this year compared to over Rs 3,000 crore in 2021. Analysts caution, however, that this decline may be temporary and linked to shifting trafficking routes.
The surge reflects not only improved surveillance, drone interdiction, and intelligence coordination by the BSF, but also a growing desperation by cross-border syndicates to flood India with arms and contraband.
If current trends continue, 2025 is set to become one of the heaviest years for recoveries in the last decade, sparking fresh debates over border management, smuggling networks, and the evolving methods being deployed to breach India’s security perimeter.
About the Author
With over 15 years of journalistic experience, Ankur Sharma, Associate Editor, specializes in internal security and is tasked with providing comprehensive coverage from the Ministry of Home Affairs, paramilitar…Read More
With over 15 years of journalistic experience, Ankur Sharma, Associate Editor, specializes in internal security and is tasked with providing comprehensive coverage from the Ministry of Home Affairs, paramilitar… Read More
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