Baljeet’s accomplice nabbed from Hoshiarpur in drug seizure case
Amritsar, March 11
Two days after the arrest of Hoshiarpur-based drug peddler Baljeet Singh, the Amritsar Rural Police have arrested his accomplice Pankaj Rana from Hoshiarpur.
His name came up during the interrogation of Baljeet who was a courier and used to further supply drugs to Ranjit Rana and his son Pankaj Rana in Hoshiapur on the instructions of Canada-based drug peddler Honey. Their interrogation further led the police to a Patiala jail inmate Mandeep Thakur, alias Manna, who was part of the drug and Hawala racket.
Satinder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural Police, confirmed the arrest of Pankaj Rana. He said he was produced in a court and brought on five-day police remand for further investigations.
According to information, during the probe, the police found that Mandeep was running the racket with the help of Canada-based drug trafficker Honey. On his disclosure, the Patiala jail authorities confiscated a mobile phone from Mandeep and an FIR was registered by Patiala police in this connection.
The SSP said Mandeep would also be brought on production warrant from Patiala jail during further course of investigations in the case. He said Baljeet was working as a courier who used to retrieve the contraband and supply to Ranjit Rana and Pankaj Rana. They were distributors who further supply the contraband in different parts of Punjab.
Baljeet Singh, a resident of Chohal village, was arrested by the special cell of the Amritsar Rural Police with 2.892 kg of heroin and Rs 2.5 lakh of drug money from near Khasa on the Amritsar-Attari road on Saturday. A police patrol party in Gharinda received specific information that Baljeet Singh was involved in illicit drug peddling from across the border fence. The informer told the police that the accused was travelling in an i20 car (PB-02-DU-6178) and was going towards Attari.
Following this, the police put up a naka near the Khasa bus stop and the accused was intercepted. During search, the police found the contraband concealed in a bag from beneath his seat. The bag also contained Rs 2.5 lakh of drug money.
