Canada-based smuggler nominated for trafficking

Amritsar, November 15

The Amritsar Rural Police have nominated a Canada-based drug smuggler, Manbilawal Singh, in connection with the arrest of two drug peddlers and confiscation of 540-gm narcotics by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police two days ago hinting that the module was being operated from foreign shores.

The contraband was reportedly dropped by a drone. Those arrested were identified as Daljit Singh of Udhar Dhaliwal village and Palwinder Singh of Rajatal village located near the India-Pakistan border.

During a preliminary interrogation, the duo had named Manbilwal Singh who has links with Pakistan-based entities who got the drugs smuggled.

Though his name had never figured in drug trafficking cases in the past, his father Punjab Singh and uncle Suba Singh were notorious drug smugglers. They had around 12 cases of drug smuggling registered against them and they were currently out on bail, informed Manmeet Singh, SHO, Gharinda police station, here. They had a huge chunk of agricultural land across the border fence.

Even the BSF had restricted their entry to their land across the barbed border fence, said a police official privy to the investigations.

Following the registration of a case against Manbilawal now, they are absconding from their houses in Rajatal village located near the India-Pakistan border.

According to the BSF authorities, on the intervening night of November 12 and 13, BSF jawans intercepted a drone and heard dropping sound near Udhar Dhaliwal village. During the search, the police recovered a packet of contraband (540 gm). Later, BSF jawans conducted a joint search operation with the Punjab Police in a surrounding area and arrested the two smugglers with a motorcycle from a house in the village.

“The house was being used for sheltering the couriers who used to pick up the drug consignments from border villages,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (Attari) Gurinderpal Singh Nagra. He added that as per an initial probe, Daljit Singh used to identify the spot where drugs could be smuggled and send the location to Manbilawal who further shared the same with the Pakistan-based smugglers for airdropping the consignment.

He said they had written to higher authorities for issuing a Red Corner Notice against Manbilawal.