114-kg heroin seized from Amritsar border since Jan 1

Amritsar border continues to be a hotbed of drug and arms smuggling from Pakistan. Of the total 114-kg heroin seized from the four police districts – Amritsar rural, Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot – in the past three months, the Amritsar rural police have recovered the maximum 103 kg, disclosed Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Border Range, Satinder Singh here on Wednesday.

Besides, the Batala police confiscated 3.5-kg heroin, Gurdaspur 6.3 kg and Pathankot 1.3 kg. The recovery is in addition to the seizures which the Border Security Force and the Punjab Police made in joint operations, the DIG pointed out.

Giving details, he said a total of 483 FIRs had been registered in the four districts of border range and 706 drug peddlers, including ‘big fish’, had been arrested. The Punjab Police have also confiscated 1.13 kg of charas, 10 kg of poppy husk, 5.8 kg of opium and a total of Rs 62 lakh, including $4000 (Rs 52.9 lakh from Amritsar alone), of drug money.

Singh said besides acting promptly against the drug traffickers, the police was also taking strict measures against them. “Till now, the three houses of drug peddlers have been razed in the border range after following the due legal process. Besides, 27 more properties of smugglers have been identified and the legal process has been initiated to demolish them also,” he said.

The DIG said apart from making recoveries of contraband, the police had also seized sophisticated weapons trafficked from Pakistan via drones. The Punjab Police recovered 68 pistols, two revolvers, 2 AK 47 rifles and three hand grenades from the operatives of Pakistan’s ISI supported foreign-based gangsters and drug smugglers. Around 50 of weapons were seized from Amritsar. He said efforts were also being made to bring the accused back to face the law.

During the operations against narco-terrorism, the police claimed to have solved several crimes, including grenade blasts at police establishments and residences, by arresting the perpetrators. The police have also nailed Hawala network operators besides arresting 22 proclaimed offenders under the NDPS Act.

In four hand grenade blast cases in the border range, the police have arrested 14 operatives and killed four in encounters while recovering weapons.