A jawan of the Border Security Force, who nabbed an alleged smuggler from Bangladesh in North Dinajpur district on Saturday night, was shot at by the youth in his grip.

Sources said around 10.30pm on Saturday, when a team of the 152nd battalion of the BSF posted at Teengaon border outpost of the district on patrol duty, they spotted three-four persons with items on their heads approaching the fences from Gwalin village under Goalpokhar police station.

As BSF troops challenged them, they dropped the items and ran to a maize field. The BSF team chased them. Jawan Mukesh Chand Sharma caught one of them.

The person who was nabbed fired one round from an improvised firearm at Sharma. The bullet hit the left side of his abdomen.

Another BSF jawan fired once in the air from his service rifle. The team overpower the alleged smuggler, Md Suman, 20, and took him into custody.

Sharma was rushed to the sub-divisional hospital in Islampur.

During preliminary interrogation, Suman said he is from Thakurgaon district of Bangladesh and that he and some others had infiltrated India to collect cough syrups to smuggle to Bangladesh, BSF sources said.

The BSF found 326 bottles of cough syrup at the site. A cell phone with two SIM cards, a firearm and Indian and Bangladeshi cash were found on Suman, who was handed over to Goalpokhar police.