2 linked to cross-border drug racket in police net

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 5

The Punjab Police have arrested two wanted men in a follow-up action on the recently busted international drug and weapon smuggling racket operated by former BSF Constable Sumit Kumar, alias Noni.

A 7.65 mm pistol with Italy marking, heroin, drug proceeds, two mobile phones, two Wi-Fi dongles and a racing bike were recovered from the accused.

DGP Dinkar Gupta today said the two — Simranjeet Singh, alias Simran, (26) of Dhirpur village in Jalandhar district and Balram Singh (26) of Surakhpur village in Kapurthala district — were arrested on October 4 near Kartarpur in Jalandhar when they were on a heroin delivery mission.

The KTM bike they were riding had been stolen from the parking lot of a private university. A case has been registered against them at the Kartarpur police station under relevant sections of the NDPS Act, Arms Act and the IPC.

Simranjeet was an absconder in the murder case of a Kapurthala sand gravel businessman 10 months ago at Dhirpur village.

Jalandhar AIG (CI) Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said the police had earlier arrested Amanpreet Singh of Dhirpur village in connection with the murder of Hamira village businessman Jagjit Singh. He and his brothers were in touch with Shah Musa of Pakistan, a cross-border drug smuggler.

During the probe, it came to light that Amanpreet had come in contact with Musa through former BSF constable Kumar, who had been lodged in the Gurdaspur jail in connection with a murder case.

The conspiracy to smuggle drugs and weapons from across the border had been hatched in the jail. After getting bail, Kumar was posted at a guard tower at the International Border in the Samba sector of Jammu from where he kept in touch with smugglers who were further in contact with Musa.

Khakh said Simran, who was the brother of Amanpreet, had admitted he and his brothers had shot the businessman. The DGP said three criminal cases were already registered against him while his accomplice Balram faced a case under the Arms Act registered at the Kotwali police station in Kapurthala. He had been released on bail from the Kapurthala jail due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Racing bike seized

• A racing bike, pistol and heroin have been seized from the accused, who were in touch with a Pak smuggler
• The arrests are part of ex-BSF Constable Sumit Kumar’s drug and weapon smuggling racket busted in July

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