E-Paper
Cross-border drug smuggler nabbed in Chandigarh
Chandigarh Police had recently arrested the accused’s two accomplices on whose disclosure he was nabbed
Police’s anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) on Tuesday arrested a 40-year-old Amritsar resident for allegedly procuring drugs from Pakistani smugglers through drones.
The accused was identified as Ranjit Singh, 40, of Daoke village, Amritsar.
According to Chandigarh police, he was earlier arrested by Punjab Police in Amritsar in connection with two Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act cases, wherein police had recovered 1.5 kg and 9 kg heroin respectively.
Chandigarh Police had recently arrested the accused’s two accomplices on whose disclosure he was nabbed.
On October 15, 2023, Chandigarh Police had arrested Harpreet Singh alias Happy, 28, of Amritsar near Housing Board Light Point, Manimajra, and recovered 53.6 gm heroin from his possession following which a NDPS case was registered at Mani Majra police station.
During interrogation, Harpreet disclosed the name of another supplier, Ranjeet, 28, also from Daoke village, Gharinda, Amritsar. He was nabbed from Amritsar on October 18.
Rana during his seven-day police remand disclosed that his village is located adjacent to India-Pakistan border and numerous youngsters from his village are involved in heroin smuggling.
“Rana had disclosed that one of the smugglers in his village contacted a Pak-based supplier. He made a WhatsApp account using a foreign number and started interacting with suppliers Irfan, Noor, Imran, Shayada. One of them sent him a drug consignment in a plastic cold drink bottle, which was dropped on the given location through a drone. He later delivered this consignment to Harpreet,” superintendent of police (SP) Ketan Bansal said.
Sharing information, deputy superintendent of police (SP) Uday Pal Singh said Ranjit’s elder brother Gurpreet Singh was lodged in the Punjab Jail in an espionage case.
“His father Inderjit Singh was earlier arrested with a consignment of RDX and two NDPS Act cases. Moreover from Ranjeet’s phone record and with the help of other agencies, it was found that a Senior Pakistan Army officer contacted him by posing as a drug smuggler, but before he could share any information, Ranjeet was arrested”, an officer said.
