3 held with 8-kg heroin in Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur, april 4

The district police claimed to have busted an international drug trafficking network by arresting three suspects and seizing 8 kg heroin smuggled from Pakistan. The accused were produced in a court, which remanded them in two-day police custody.

Main suspect Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukhi, is said to be the nephew of Daya Singh Lahoria, a Khalistan terrorist lodged in Tihar Jail.

SSP Navjot Singh Mahal said the Hoshiarpur police arrested Sukhwinder Singh, a resident of Channwal village in Barnala; and Manpreet Singh, alias Kala, and Jagdeep Singh, alias Soni, both residents of Balbehra village in Patiala. Sukhi is facing charges under the NDPS Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and Explosive Substances Act.

In 2007, he was arrested in Sidhwan Bet with 6 kg heroin and four pistols. He was released on bail in 2019. “Sukhi used to visit Pakistan on the pretext of pilgrimage and developed connections with drug smugglers there. He had smuggled heroin on numerous occasions,” the SSP said. — OC