Three held with drugs, weapons

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 25

Acting on a tip-off, the Special Task Force (STF) arrested three notorious criminals for drug peddling and confiscated 320-gm heroin and two weapons along with nine bullets from their possession on Amritsar-Attari bypass road on Wednesday late evening.

They were identified as Shamsher Singh, alias Shera, of Khehra Kalan village in Gurdaspur, Neeraj Kumar of the Gopal Nagar area here and Subeg Singh, alias Banty, of Sheikhupur Mohalla, Jandiala Guru.

The accused were working at the behest of two drug peddlers lodged in the Amritsar Central Jail. Though, STF officials refrained from divulging their names as it could hamper the probe, they said they would be brought on production warrant for further interrogation.

Nirmal Singh Sahota, AIG, STF, said that Shamsher had nine criminal cases of robberies, dacoity and under the NDPS Act, while Banty and Neeraj had three cases each. Neeraj had a murder case against him and he was declared a proclaimed offender in the case. Shera was also declared a PO by the court in a number of cases, he said.

DSP Vavinder Mahajan said that STF got a tip-off that the accused were involved in the drug peddling in Amritsar and that they were coming to the city in a car (PB-02-EA-1983) from Majitha bypass. They were to deliver the drug consignment near Metro shopping mall. The STF laid a checkpoint near Metro shopping mall and intercepted the accused. They were going to fire the police party. But before that the accused were held. During search the police found two 7.65 bore country-made pistols and 320-gm heroin. A case under the NDPS and Arms Act was registered against them at Mohali.

The three accused were produced in the court and brought on police remand for further interrogation. The police said preliminary probe indicated that their accomplices lodged in the Amritsar Central Jail used to direct them over phone to collect and deliver heroin at designated points. He said source of the contraband was yet to be ascertained.

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