Muktsar police nab Bathinda drug cartel kingpin’s brother, aide with 4kg heroin

Over two months after Bathinda police busted an international drug cartel and seized 40kg of heroin with the arrest of six persons on July 8, Muktsar police today claimed to have arrested two persons – Sukhvir Singh, brother of key accused Lakhvir Singh in that case, and his aide Manpreet Sharma – with 4kg heroin.

Faridkot Range DIG Nilambari Jagadale claimed this was the biggest single-day recovery of heroin in the district.

Acting on a tip-off, the CIA-II team of Malout had set up a ‘naka’ near Jandwala village here on Thursday, intercepted their car and found 4kg heroin, she said.

“With Lakhvir in jail, his brother Sukhvir was running the racket. One of his properties in Bathinda has already been attached and proceedings to attach another in Malout are underway. The car used for smuggling has also been confiscated,” the DIG said.

She added, “Their first backward linkage, Jagmeet Meeta alias Shah, a resident of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district, has already been arrested by Bathinda police. The Muktsar police have identified five to six of their forward linkages and dispatched teams to arrest them.”

Police said Sukhvir already faces seven cases, including one under the NDPS Act, while Manpreet has one NDPS case. Both are residents of Malout town, while Sukhvir was temporarily residing in Bathinda.

They suspect the accused have links with gangster networks and will seek remand to investigate the wider nexus.