International drug smuggling racket: Three more suspects land in police net

Jalandhar, March 6

The Commissionerate Police have apprehended three more persons, including one from Delhi, in connection with the drug smuggling racket spanning four countries through courier services.

The individuals in custody, were identified as Parmod Singh, a Delhi resident, who was previously employed as a contractual worker at the Delhi Customs Office, Balihar Singh, a resident of Tanda, and Sikander, a resident of Basti Sheikh in Jalandhar.

As per information, Parmod played a pivotal role in facilitating the syndicate by orchestrating the clearance of parcels during scanning procedures. He always had advance knowledge of international courier parcels containing narcotics and colluded with clearance staff. He was paid a fee ranging from Rs 10,000 to 20,000 per parcel. Balihar and Sikander, who worked with a courier company, were tasked with procuring opium from Jharkhand, arrange its packaging, and overseeing its delivery to international destinations.

Following their court appearance today, Parmod, Balihar and Sikander were remanded into police custody for further interrogation. The police are also probing the involvement of other Delhi custom officials, who may have facilitated the smuggling operation, and examining Parmod’s call records among other evidence.

The recent development follows the arrest of three other suspects, identified as Aman, Sunny and Shejal, last week, along with the seizure of 5 kg of opium from their possession.

Swapan Sharma, Commissioner of Police (CP), had previously stated that the syndicate had been active for three years, having already dispatched nearly two quintals of opium abroad during this period.

The mastermind behind the cartel, Manish, alias Mani Thakur, is believed to be in the UK. Investigations indicate that opium was sourced from Jharkhand, routed through courier operators in Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar, before being dispatched overseas.

Aditya Warrier, DCP (Investigation), confirmed the arrests of the three suspects. He said details about the modus operandi and related information would be shared soon as the investigation progressed.