Two held with 4 kg heroin, pistols in Amritsar

The city police have busted yet another cross-border drug and weapon smuggling module with the arrest of two persons and the seizure of 4 kg of heroin and four sophisticated pistols.

Those arrested have been identified as Arshdeep Singh (21), a resident of Lahuka village in Tarn Taran, and Tarsem Singh (31), a resident of Mohalla Jaswant Singh Nagar in Tarn Taran.

The police recovered 4.108 kg of heroin, two 9mm Glock pistols, two .30 bore pistols (China-made), and five live cartridges. The consignment was allegedly smuggled from Pakistan.

According to Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through social media platforms. The consignments were delivered via drones across the border and later collected and distributed by the accused. He added that further investigations are underway to trace both forward and backward linkages of the network.

Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Arshdeep Singh was initially arrested with 2.6 kg of heroin. His disclosure led to the arrest of Tarsem Singh, from whom 1.5 kg of heroin and the pistols were recovered.

Tarsem Singh, described as a habitual offender, is facing 16 criminal cases under the NDPS Act, Arms Act, and Prison Act, in addition to charges of attempt to murder. He is also linked to gangster Gurpreet Singh, who is currently residing abroad. Investigations suggest that the gangster lured Tarsem into the smuggling racket with promises of a fake passport and overseas travel.

A case has been registered at the Cantonment police station under Sections 21-B, 21-C, and 29 of the NDPS Act, along with Section 25 of the Arms Act. Further investigations are in progress to dismantle the entire network, the Police Commissioner added.

Meanwhile, the Amritsar Rural Police recovered 2 kg of opium from two persons identified as Sucha Singh and Gurjit Singh. Sub-Inspector Harman Kaur said the accused were nabbed near a degree college when a police team intercepted two motorcycle-borne suspects. A search led to the recovery of over 2 kg of opium. A separate case under the NDPS Act has been registered against them.