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12kg heroin, pistol seized in Amritsar, four arrested
The latest seizure was made during an investigation into the earlier recovery of 8.1kg of heroin on Sept 8
The Amritsar police on Wednesday arrested four more drug smugglers and recovered 12kg of heroin along with a pistol and magazine, director general of police Gaurav Yadav said.
The arrests came following a probe into the recovery of 8.1kg of heroin a few days ago from a notorious smuggler, Soni Singh alias Soni, and his four associates.
“Four more drug smugglers were arrested and 12 kg of heroin was seized along with a .30-bore pistol and a magazine from their possession, taking the total seizure of heroin in this case to 20.1kg, the DGP added.
Those arrested have been identified as Gurbhej Singh (50) and his son Gurdit Singh (22), both residents of Narla village in Tarn Taran; Malkit Singh (50) of Dall village in Tarn Taran, and Gurjit Singh (29) of Kotli Saka village in Ajnala, Amritsar.
On September 8, Punjab Police had busted a heroin trafficking cartel with the arrest of the drug smuggler Soni along with his four associates— Gursewak Singh, Vishaldeep Singh alias Gola, Gurpreet Singh, and Arshdeep Singh— and recovered 8.1kg heroin from their possession.
Yadav said that the latest arrests have exposed another node of the trans-border cartel operating in Tarn Taran and Amritsar Rural sectors.
All accused persons were using WhatsApp to communicate with each other and with the Pakistan-based smugglers, he said.
The DGP said that further investigations are ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in this case. More arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days, he added.
Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that during interrogation, Gursewak Singh revealed that a father-son duo, Gurbhej Singh and Gurdit Singh, along with Malkit Singh, were running the drug syndicate in the area. “Gurbhej Singh was coordinating smuggling operations in the border area of the Tarn Taran sector and maintained direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers,” the CP said.
The CP said that the accused Gurbhej Singh had been receiving consignments via drone drop-offs in fields owned by his associate, Malkit Singh, located close to the International border.
“He was using cattle sheds to conceal the heroin consignments,” he said, while adding that following his disclosure, 10kg of heroin was recovered from a pit inside his house.
Bhullar said that further investigation in this case has led to the identification and arrest of Gurjit Singh. “During the search of the latter’s house, 2.006 kg of heroin, along with a .30-bore pistol and a magazine, were recovered,” he said.
A case has already been registered under Sections 21-B, 27-A, 21-C, and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at police station Chheharta in Amritsar, said the officials.
