E-Paper
40kg of heroin seized from Pakistan border in Gurdaspur
Punjab Police, BSF conduct joint operation in Dera Baba Nanak sector, recover contraband wrapped in plastic packets pushed into Indian territory through PVC pipe
In a joint operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police seized 40.810kg of heroin from along the Indo-Pak border in the Dera Baba Nanak sector of Gurdaspur district in the wee hours of Saturday.
The contraband, which was packed in 39 plastic packets, was pushed into Indian territory through a PVC pipe inserted through the barbed wire fence in the Panjgraian border outpost (BOP) area.
Police said the operation was launched around 2.30am when some movement was noticed along the border. The BSF opened fire on noticing suspects across the barbed wire fence and ahead of the zero line, but they managed to retreat.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said following a tip-off that Nirmal Singh, alias Sonu Mayer, a notorious smuggler of the Gharinda area, was trying to smuggle heroin through the border, senior superintendent of police (SSP-Amritsar rural) Gulneet Singh Khurana shared the information with BSF officials. A police team comprising deputy superintendent of police (DSP-investigation) Gurinderpal Singh and DSP, Ajnala, Vipan Kumar also reached the spot, said the DGP.
Besides recovering 40kg of heroin, the police and BSF also seized 180 grams of opium and two plastic pipes, said the DGP, adding a motorcycle and a scooter belonging to Indian smugglers have been impounded.
“The police have launched a hunt to arrest Sonu, who is also wanted by the Tarn Taran police in a heroin recovery case of 2020,” said SSP Khurana.
The smugglers used a Pakistan-made plastic pipe to push the heroin, tied neatly in packets, across the fence. A case under Sections 21, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act, Section 14 of the Foreigners Act and Sections 3, 34, 20 Indian Passport Act has been registered at the Ramdas police station in Amritsar, he said.
