Pakistan-sponsored drug racket busted, 4 held

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 13

The Punjab Police have busted a Pakistan-sponsored drugs and illegal arms smuggling racket with the arrest of four persons, including their kingpin, a BSF constable posted in Samba district of J&K. The constable allegedly helped in the smuggling of heroin worth Rs 200 crore into India in the past fortnight.

Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said Sumit of Magar Mudian village in Gurdaspur, had been apprehended along with his aides Simarjit Singh, alias Simma, Manpreet Singh and Amanpreet Singh.

The DGP said Sumit had admitted to his involvement in smuggling of narcotics and weapons from across the border. In the first instance, he is learnt to have facilitated the smuggling and delivery of 15 packets of heroin from across the border, while in the second instance, he was involved in the influx of 25 packets of heroin and a Zigana 9 mm pistol over the border fence on the Indo-Pakistan border where he was deployed. Each packet weighed 1 kg.

The DGP said Sumit kept the pistol and received Rs 39 lakh as his compensation for the successful receipt of drugs and weapons consignments.

Giving details, the DGP said the Jalandhar (Rural) police had arrested Amanpreet Singh on July 11 in a murder case. During interrogation, he disclosed that he and his brothers were in touch with one Shah Musa of Pakistan, for smuggling of narcotics and weapons. Amanpreet also said he had come in contact with Shah Musa through Manpreet Singh and a BSF constable posted on the J&K border, the DGP said.

He said Sumit Kumar had earlier been lodged in Gurdaspur jail during the trial of a murder, where he had come in contact with Manpreet Singh.

Gupta said the conspiracy to smuggle drugs and weapons from across the border was hatched in Gurdaspur jail. He said these disclosures led the police to arrest Simarjeet and Manpreet on July 12, while Sumit was apprehended in coordination with the BSF.

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