12 held with 2.1-kg heroin, 3 pistols

The city police have arrested 12 persons, including two women, in a across-border drug network. Among those arrested included an anganwadi worker, identified as Babli, whose residence was being used a safe haven for further disbursal of contraband.

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The police confiscated 2.192 kg of heroin, three pistols of .30 bore calibre (two of them automatic), Rs 2.6 lakh of drug money, an SUV (Toyota Fortuner) and a motorcycle from their possession.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the cartel was active for the past three months and consignments of drugs and weapons were sneaked into through porous Ajnala and Ramdass border belt in Amritsar rural areas.

Those arrested were identified as Manjit Singh Bhola (27) of Jhanjhoti village in Rajasansi area, Jobanpreet Singh, alias Joban, of Arjan Nagar Bhatha (20), Harpreet Singh, alias Happy (24), of Guru Ki Wadali, Babli (36) of Guru Amardass Colony, Naraingarh, Amritpal Singh Anshu (23) of Chheharta, Harshpreet Singh (22) of Islamabad locality, Aniket Verma of Naraingarh, Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi (23), Lovepreet Singh, alias Jashan, Mandeep Singh, alias Kaushal, of Kudi village, Islamabad, Reshma (22) of Kartar Nagar, Chheharta, and Akashdeep Singh, alias Arsh (24), of Wadali Road, Chheharta.

Five of the suspects were arrested from Jammu and Kashmir area where they had gone as a tourist. The police were yet to verify the motive behind their visit to the Valley.

Sharing details, Bhullar said the police had arrested Aniket Verma with 192 gm of heroin along with Rs 10,000 drug money and an electronic scale from his possession on December 24 last year. He said during his interrogation, the police arrested Harpreet, Jobanpreet, Babli and Amritpal Singh. From Babli’s residence, the police confiscated 2-kg heroin and her arrest led to the arrest of Reshma. Further probe led to arrest of the remaining suspects, including prime accused Manjit Singh Bhola.

“Bhola, a carpenter, used to work in Dera Baba Nanak area and came in contact with cross-border drug traffickers. They had been active for the past three months and investigations are on to ascertain how much drug consignments they had pushed in and further delivered to peddlers,” said the Police Commissioner. They had procured the SUV from the ill-gotten money earned by selling the contraband to peddlers, he added.

He said the police were hopeful of making more seizures and arrests in the case.

Meanwhile, DGP Gaurav Yadav said accused Manjeet, alias Bhola, who is a key player, was in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers/handlers and was receiving consignments of drugs and weapons from across the border. A probe revealed that consignments were being dropped in Ramdas and Ajnala border sectors with the help of drones, he added.