Police bust drug smuggling racket; 1 held with 9 kg heroin
The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of the Punjab Police arrested an alleged drug smuggler and recovered 9 kg of heroin during an operation in the district on Monday.
The accused has been identified as Ranjit Singh, alias Rana, a resident of Gillan Wali village in Dujowal under the Ramdas police station. The police also impounded his motorcycle (PB14D0554), which was allegedly being used to transport narcotics.
According to officials, the arrest was made following specific intelligence inputs that Ranjit Singh was in contact with a Pakistan-based smuggler identified as Jutt. Investigations revealed that heroin consignments were being smuggled into India using drones and dropped near the fenced border areas of Ghonewala village. The accused allegedly collected these consignments and supplied them to various parties across Punjab.
As per information, the accused was travelling along the Amritsar-Ramdas road near the bus stop of Anaitpura village to deliver the consignment.
Acting on a tip-off, police teams set up checkpoints on the Amritsar-Ramdas road near the Anaitpura village bus stop and intercepted the suspect. During a search, police officials recovered the contraband from his possession.
“Investigations are underway to determine how long he has been involved in the illegal trade. He will be produced before a court and brought on police remand for further interrogation,” said Balbir Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Counter Intelligence. He added that the police were also trying to ascertain the quantity of contraband he had smuggled so far.
A case under various provisions of the NDPS Act has been registered at the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) police station. Further investigations are in progress to trace the backward and forward linkages of the drug cartel, including the Pakistan-based handlers and their local associates involved in the trafficking and distribution of narcotics. The police expect more arrests as the investigation progresses.
