E-Paper
Drone-based drug smuggling module busted; 1 held with 3.7 kg heroin
“The accused was on the way from the border area to Amritsar after retrieving 610 gm of heroin smuggled via drone from Pakistan. When he was questioned, he said he had been tasked to retrieve more consignments of heroin concealed in Khemkaran. Heroin is smuggled via drones from across the border,” the SSP said.
Police have busted a drone-based cross-border drug smuggling module with the arrest of one of its members during a barricading in the border village of Valtoha in Tarn Taran district.
With the arrest of the accused, the police have also recovered 3.7 kg of heroin, which was smuggled from Pakistan using drones.
The accused has been identified as Harpal Singh of Chheharta village in Amritsar.
Addressing a press conference, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Tarn Taran, Ashwani Kapur said the accused was nabbed during a barricading in Valtoha village on Monday. “The accused was on the way from the border area to Amritsar after retrieving 610 gm of heroin smuggled via drone from Pakistan. When he was questioned, he said he had been tasked to retrieve more consignments of heroin concealed in Khemkaran. Heroin is smuggled via drones from across the border,” the SSP said.
He said acting on the basis of the disclosure of the accused, a team led by deputy superintendent of police (DSP-Bhikhiwind) Preetinder Singh searched Khemkaran village and recovered 3 kg and 16 gm of heroin.
He said, “Our investigation is still on to ascertain if the accused was directly in contact with Pakistani smugglers for the smuggling of heroin or he was operating at the behest of someone else.”
The police have registered two separate cases against the accused at Valtoha police station and Khemkaran police station under various sections of the NDPS Act and the Aircraft Act.
2 Chinese drones seized in Amritsar
The personnel of border security force (BSF) have recovered two Chinese drones during two separate search operations in Rajatal and Dhanoe Khurd villages of Amritsar.
According to a BSF spokesperson, both the drones were recovered in farming fields of the respective villages on Tuesday morning.
The recovered drones are DJI Mavic 3 Classic.
