Smugglers hired Afghan national for $50K to refine 200 kg of heroin

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 4

Afghan national Armaan Bashar, arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police on Friday, had been hired by drug smugglers for $50,000 to refine 200 kg of heroin at an illicit unit in Sultanwind, Amritsar.

While Bashar is the first such expert from Afghanistan to have been arrested in Punjab, investigators believe the gang led by Simranjit Singh Sandhu may have hired two more experts from the country earlier and dumped hundreds of kilograms of heroin in the domestic market or abroad.

Six persons, including the Afghan national, were arrested in an operation led by ADGP-cum-Director STF Harpreet Singh Sidhu to bust the illegal unit.

The 35-year-old suspect, who had two wives and 14 children, wanted to make a quick buck to support his large family, he has told the investigating officials.

“Almost everyone in my village, Achin, knows how to refine heroin,” he told the investigators, adding he was earning only a few thousands per month before the big ‘opportunity’ came along.

Bashar told the investigators he used the advance given to him in Kabul to buy a smart phone, his first. He was supposed to finish the assignment in a month.

Through his unidentified Afghanistan and Pakistan handlers, besides kingpin Sandhu, Bashar arrived in India on January 19 on gratis visa, given to Afghanistan nationals, for treatment of an alleged kidney ailment. “His medical examination has not substantiated his claim. He has not shown symptoms of kidney ailment,” said STF IG Kaustubh Sharma.

Bashar and the previous experts from Afghanistan had set up the laboratory in one of the rooms of the 2 BHK house at Sultanwind. “They used to lock themselves in while refining the drug so that local smugglers or facilitators could not learn the trade,” said the IG.

The police are yet to ascertain the source of the contraband. “We suspect the consignment came from Gujarat port since kingpin Sandhu uses this route to smuggle drugs from Pakistan. However, we are yet to confirm this,” said IG Sharma.

The STF believes the heroin was refined for the European market. “It seems the motive was to refine heroin to intoxication value up to 61 per cent for use in European market.”