Cross-border drug cartel smuggled over 100kg heroin in past 3 months in Amritsar district

The city police have intensified probe and operation to recover huge quantity of contraband retrieved by the cross-border drug cartel busted here on Friday.

Investigations carried out so far disclosed that the cartel had recently retrieved around seven consignments of 5kg heroin each with the help of drones. A total of 35kg of contraband was sneaked into the Indian territory by drones in the recent past. These consignments were smuggled through Ramdas and Ajnala border belt.

If the police authorities are to the believed hexacopters capable of lifting and ferrying heavy payload were used by the cross-border drug traffickers. The police have arrested 12 persons, including two women, in the case and confiscated 2.1kg of heroin, Rs 2.6 lakh of drug money and three .30 bore pistols smuggled from Pakistan side from their possession. A carpenter identified as Manjit Singh Bhola was the kingpin of the racket which had been active for past three months.

“We have been hoping to make more drug recoveries during further course of investigations,” said Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.

A senior police official privy to the investigations revealed that over 100 quintals of drugs was pushed into the Indian side of the border by the anti-national entities which were retrieved by Bhola and his associates having links with Pakistan-based smugglers.

The suspects used to store drugs at the residence of two women, including an Anganwadi worker identified as Babli, and another woman identified as Reshma, in order to evade catching eye of the law.

Besides Bhola, Babli and Reshma, the police arrested Aniket Verma of Chheharta, Jobanpreet Singh, alias Joban, of Chheharta, Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, of Guru Ki Wadali, Amritpal Singh, alias Ansh of Naraingarh in Chheharta, Harshpreet Singh, alias Harman, alias Hamma of Thanda village in Amritsar district, Mandeep Singh, alias Kaushal, alias Joshi, of Fatehpur village of Amritsar district, Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, of Fatehpur village, Lovepreet Singh, alias Jashan, of Fatehpur village, and Akashdeep Singh, alias Arsh, of Chheharta.

Initially, the police had arrested Aniket Singh with small amount of drug. While establishing his backward and forward links, the police stumbled upon the cross-border drug smuggling racket leading to the arrest of Manjeet Singh, aka Bhola, and Anganwadi worker Babli. Five of the suspects were arrested with the help of the Jammu and Kashmir police from the hill state.