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JODHPUR, India, Jan 24 (AFP) - An unexpected silver lining to the war clouds hovering over India and Pakistan has been the arrest of dozens of criminals who use the porous border to run guns and smuggle drugs.

Since the December 13 attack on India's parliament, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-based militant groups, there has been a huge military build-up along both sides of the border.

"Dozens of wanted smugglers have fallen into our clutches. Border patrolling has increased in recent weeks so the rest of them will be in for a bad brush with the law if they continue their old tricks," said S.M. Jain, inspector general of police in the border state of Rajasthan.

At least 34 people have been detained in the past three weeks for smuggling by India's paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) and Rajasthan police in a series of raids near the towns of Barmer, Bajju, Khajuwala and Rawala.

On Tuesday police arrested Umaid Ali and Megha Ram from Bijarad town, 320 kilometres (200 miles) west of the city of Jodhpur, for crossing the border with two AK-47 assault rifles and plastic explosives.

"The two had smuggled 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of plastic explosive material into India from Gadra Road near the Pakistan border," said Jain.

"They confessed they were planning to supply the explosives to groups in Delhi, Bombay and Ahmedabad," said Jain. "We suspect these could be terrorist groups."

In another operation, border guards intercepted Rajasthan-based smuggler Nathu Khan with Chinese-made pistols, cartridges, a total of 700 grams (24 ounces) of heroin and two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of opium in the border town of Barmer.

"Khan has trafficked heroin worth 270 million rupees (5.6 million dollars) this year," said Jain.

"The arrests of Khan, Umaid Ali and Megha Ram should send a warning to other smugglers (who are) using the Rajasthan border with Pakistan to carry out their illicit activities."

The frontier between Pakistan's Sindh province and India's Rajasthan state is normally a haven for smugglers from both countries who shuttle all kinds of goods back and forth under the noses of border guards.

Pakistani smugglers send opium, hashish, heroin, gold, silver, guns and almonds to their Indian counterparts.

Indian smugglers barter for those goods with wine, chemicals -- particularly acetic anhydride which is used to make heroin -- spices, betel leaf and cattle.

"Any border guards found conniving with smugglers will face serious consequences," said B.D. Sharma, deputy inspector general of the BSF in Jodhpur.

"Right now, we have enough army and paramilitary soldiers plugging smuggling loopholes along our 1,050-kilometre (650-mile) western border with Pakistan," he added.

Poor relations between India and Pakistan have hampered legal trade, which was worth just 293 million dollars in the last financial year.

But illicit trade along the border is believed to be worth several times higher.

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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