Trans-border smuggling racket busted in Punjab, three held

Chandigarh: Striking a blow to the gangster-narco nexus, Punjab Police’s Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted a trans-border narcotic smuggling racket with the arrest of three drug smugglers, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Wednesday.

One kg Ice (methamphetamine) and 1 kg heroin have been recovered from their possession.

Those arrested were identified as Karandeep Singh (22), a resident of Bhakna Kala village in Amritsar district, Jeewan Singh (19) and Manjinder Singh (21), both residents of Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran.

Police teams have also impounded their car Toyota Etios in which they were travelling. DGP Yadav said preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused Karandeep had been living in Dubai and Moscow in Russia before returning back to Punjab after six years.

After returning to Punjab, accused Karandeep has established contacts with the Pakistan-based drug smugglers using various social media apps and started smuggling narcotics from across the border to further supply them in Amritsar and neighbouring districts, he said, adding drones were being used by Pakistan-based smugglers to influx narcotics into the territory of the state.

The DGP said the probe has also found that the accused Karandeep was also in touch with foreign-based Gangster Gurdev, alias Jaisal. A first information report (FIR) has been registered under the NDPS Act in Amristar and investigations are going on to establish backwards and forward linkages.

Pertinently, Gurdev Jaisel is a key operative of Canada-based terrorists Lakhbir, alias Landa, and Satbir Singh, alias Satta, who were behind the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack at the police station in Sarhali and numerous plots to commit targeted killings in Punjab.

Sharing operation details, Commissioner of Police (Amritsar) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said acting on a tip-off, police teams under the supervision of DCP (Investigation) Harpreet Singh Mander laid a checkpoint near Puli Sua at Ajnala road in Amritsar and arrested the trio after recovering drug consignments from their vehicle.

He said further investigations are going on. More arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days.