Punjab Police on Saturday said it has busted a narco-hawala racket with the arrest of five persons and recovered over ₹46 lakh cash. The racket was being operated by US-based drug smuggler Joban Kaler and gangster Gopi Chougawan, police said.
Sharing details, police said they arrested Satnam Singh alias Sandhu, a resident of Amritsar on April 9 with 1kg of heroin. Following his questioning, three more persons — Rajanjot Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Anil Saini— were arrested, said Amritsar police commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar.
Further investigation led to the arrest of two other associates, Navjot Singh and Harmit Singh, based on disclosures by Gurpreet Singh. Investigation revealed that Anil Saini, Navjot Singh, and Harmit Singh were found to be in contact with Kaler and Chougawan.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, in a post on X, said: “In a major crackdown on narco-hawala networks, Amritsar Commissionerate Police arrests 2 persons — including a police constable posted in Ludhiana. The money was being routed through Dubai.”
The DGP further said an FIR under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at PS Chheharta and the investigation is ongoing to establish backwards and forward linkages.
{{/usCountry}}The DGP further said an FIR under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at PS Chheharta and the investigation is ongoing to establish backwards and forward linkages.
{{/usCountry}}Amritsar CP Bhullar said Saini was allegedly running a hawala network under the cover of a dry fruit business.
Investigation revealed that the accused were transferring drug money through a hawala network in exchange for heroin consignments being supplied from across the border.
During this hawala network, the accused used to exchange money by taking a photo of ₹10 or 20 note numbers and verifying the photo through social media apps, said Bhullar.
The police commissioner further said the investigation is underway to trace the total quantity of narcotics procured by the accused and to expose the complete network of suppliers, dealers and buyers, he said.