Narcotics smuggling module with links to Pak busted in Punjab; 4 held

Chandigarh, July 26 (IANS) Amid the ongoing drive to make the state a drug-free one, Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has busted a cross-border narcotics smuggling module with links to Pakistan and arrested four of its operatives after recovering 4 kg heroin from their possession, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Saturday.

Those arrested have been identified as Ranjit Singh and Karan Masih, both residents of Attari in Amritsar; Manpreet Singh and Ajaypal Singh, both residents of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar.

Apart from recovering heroin, police teams have also impounded their auto rickshaw (PB 02 DN 5173), which the accused persons were using inconspicuously to retrieve and deliver the drug consignments.

DGP Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused persons were acting under the directions of a Pakistan-based smuggler, who has been using drones to drop narcotic consignments from across the border.

The arrested individuals were further delivering the narcotics consignments to other parties in the state, the DGP said.

Sharing operation details, he said that teams of CI Amritsar received specific intelligence about retrieval of narcotics consignments from Indo-Pakistan border area falling near Attari village in Amritsar.

Acting swiftly, police teams intercepted four accused persons from near Bus Stop Kathanian situated on the Amritsar-Attari GT Road, when they were going to deliver the consignment in their auto-rickshaw and recovered narcotics from their possession, he said.

The DGP said that further investigations are underway to uncover the network’s backward and forward linkages. A case dated July 25 has been registered under Sections 21, 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar.

Earlier, on July 17, DGP Gaurav Yadav said that Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar busted a cross-border illegal arms smuggling module with links to Pakistan and arrested one of its operative after recovering ten .30 bore sophisticated pistols along with magazines from his possession.

The arrested man has been identified as Harjinder Singh, a resident of Dall village in Tarn Taran.

The police said that he is a notorious narcotics smuggler with two cases pertaining to the NDPS Act has been registered against him and recently bailed-out from jail.

The development came a fortnight after CI Amritsar had busted a similar cross-border narcotics and illegal arms smuggling module with the arrest of its three operatives -- Sarabjit Singh and Kulwinder Singh, both residents of Ferozepur, and Ashmandeep Singh of Tarn Taran -- and recovered eight sophisticated weapons, 1 kg heroin and Rs 2.9 lakh drug money from their possession.

DGP Yadav said preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused has been working in collusion with Pakistan-based smuggler, who has been using drones to drop weapon consignments from across the border.

--IANS

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