Four held with 17kg opium, pistol, ₹1 lakh drug money in Amritsar

The police have recovered 17kg of opium, a .32-bore pistol and ₹1.1 lakh drug money from the possession of the accused

The counter intelligence wing of Punjab Police has busted an inter-state gang involved in opium smuggling with the arrest of four of its members during a barricading on Ram Tirath Road in Amritsar.

The accused were smuggling the opium from Jharkhand to Punjab.

The police have recovered 17kg of opium, a .32-bore pistol and ₹1.1 lakh drug money from the possession of the accused. Police said the accused were travelling in a Hyundai Verna car (B02-EB-3171) and were intercepted following a tip-off. The accused were smuggling the opium from Jharkhand to Punjab, they added.

The arrested men have been identified as Jobandeep Singh of Wadala area, Sukhjinder Singh of Chainpur village, and Ranjit Singh and Jaspal Singh of Bhittewad village in Amritsar.

A spokesperson of the counter intelligence said during the preliminary investigations, it has come to light that Jobandeep was earlier involved in a case pertaining to the recovery of 7kg of opium, which was registered at the Beas police station. It has been revealed that the accused came in touch with Jharkhand-based suppliers through their contact, presently lodged in Kapurthala jail. It has been also learnt that the Jharkhand-based party is a leading supplier of opium in different parts of Punjab.

“Investigations are being carried out to unearth the whole network of drug suppliers, dealers and their buyers. Efforts are being made to identify the procurement and supply chain across different states. The accused will be produced before a court for police remand in due course,” said the police.

A case under Sections 18, 25, 29 of the NDPS Act has been registered at the state special operation cell police station in Amritsar.