A village defence committee (VDC) assisted the Amritsar rural police in intercepting a cache of narcotics and weapons at Othian village in Rajasansi assembly segment on Thursday, resulting in the recovery of 42.9kg of heroin, four hand-grenades and a pistol, police officials said.
The consignment was dumped by two bike-borne persons after they were intercepted by the VDC network with the help of police teams, the official added.
In a post on X, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said, “Amritsar rural police busted the narco-arms consignment with the help of VDC. Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of two persons, both residents of Amritsar. Further investigation is underway, verify the chain of possession, and uncover the wider conspiracy.”
Sharing further details, DIG (border range) Sandeep Goyal said this is a strong blow to narco-terrorism, cross-border drug trafficking, and illegal arms smuggling.
“This operation is a direct outcome of actionable and credible intelligence generated through the village defence committees (VDCs), a flagship initiative of the Punjab government aimed at institutionalising community participation in internal security and anti-drug efforts. The intelligence was further developed, and the operation was conducted under the close supervision of senior police officers”, Goyal said.
“Acting swiftly on the inputs received through the VDC network, police teams intercepted a motorcycle in the Othian village. Upon sensing the police presence, the suspects abandoned the motorcycle along with the consignment and fled towards adjoining agricultural fields, taking advantage of the darkness and terrain. Police teams immediately launched a systematic search and area domination exercise in the surrounding fields,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Acting swiftly on the inputs received through the VDC network, police teams intercepted a motorcycle in the Othian village. Upon sensing the police presence, the suspects abandoned the motorcycle along with the consignment and fled towards adjoining agricultural fields, taking advantage of the darkness and terrain. Police teams immediately launched a systematic search and area domination exercise in the surrounding fields,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Preliminary investigation reveals that the recovered narcotics, arms, and explosives were dropped via drones from across the international border, clearly indicating the involvement of an organised cross-border narco-terror network, the officials added.
A case has been registered at the concerned police station under Sections 21 and 25 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, along with other applicable provisions of law. An intensive investigation is underway to identify and apprehend the accused, trace forward and backward linkages, and dismantle the entire network involved, Goyal said.
Meanwhile, actress-turned-politician Sonia Mann, who is halqa in-charge of the AAP in the Rajasansi segment, shared a video and took credit for calling the police regarding the consignment after getting information from the village sarpanch.
“The two bike-borne persons were carrying the consignment on the road, which is under construction. When the local people told them that they won’t be able to move ahead as the road is under construction, they got nervous and fled from the place, leaving behind the consignment and the bike,” she said. She added that the village sarpanch informed her, and she called the police officials.