Cross-border drugs, arms smuggling module busted; kingpin among 13 held in Gurdaspur

Police in Gurdaspur, India have arrested 13 members of a cross-border drugs and arms smuggling ring, including kingpin Jugraj Singh alias Chotu. The group had been using drones to transport drugs and weapons from Pakistan. Police recovered 4.5kg of heroin, six pistols, seven magazines, 77 live rounds and INR34 lakh ($45,000) in drug money. The weapons were intended for extortion and target killings. The arrested men are from Gurdaspur district, and police have identified six other members of the group.

Police on Thursday busted a module of drugs and arms smuggling using drones from across the border, arresting its 13 members, including kingpin Jugraj Singh alias Chotu, in Gurdaspur.

Cops with seized weapons and drug money.

“With the arrest of the accused, the police have also recovered 4.5kg of heroin, six pistols, including two Glocks, seven magazines, 77 live rounds and ₹34 lakh drug money. The weapons recovered were to be used for extortion and crimes, including target killings,” deputy inspector general (DIG-border range) Narinder Bhargav said while addressing a press conference in Gurdaspur.

The arrested men have been identified as kingpin Jugraj Singh alias Chotu, Gursahib Singh alias Saath, Daljit Singh, Gagandeep Singh alias Bundi, Bikramjit Singh alias Bikka, Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, Ravinder Singh alias Rohit, Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Muhava, Goli alias Bunty Masih, Karandeep Singh alias Karan, Harpal Singh, Varinder Kumar alias Babbu and Arun Kumar, cops said.

All the accused are from various villages in Gurdaspur district. Police have also identified six more members of the module, and raids are on to arrest them,” DIG-border range said.

“Last month, three accused Harpal, Varinder and Arun, were arrested with 2.4kg of heroin and ₹2 lakh drug money in Shahpur Afghana village. The arrest of the accused had raised suspicion of a high-level network being operated to smuggle drugs and weapons using drones from Pakistan,” Bhargav said.

“A special team under the supervision of SP-Operation Jagjit Singh Saroya was formed to unearth the entire nexus. The team, during an in-depth investigation, found that the accused were also involved in a case registered in March against unidentified persons for smuggling contraband using drones from Pakistan. During the trio’s interrogation, ten more accused of the module, including its kingpin Chotu, were arrested. Six pistols and their magazines and rounds, and ₹32 lakh drug money were recovered from the ten members,” Bhargav added.

The DIG said the investigation also revealed that 2.16 kg heroin, which was recovered on April 16, from the India-Pakistan border, was to be retrieved by Bundi, Bikka and Daljit.

Another senior police official said the kingpin had been running the network in collusion with some Pakistani smugglers. He said, “Chotu, who has already been facing four drug cases, had been running the network after returning from Germany. His father, Avtar Singh was also a notorious drug smuggler and was sentenced to ten years in a drug case.”

The DIG said all the accused will be questioned during their police remand and more recoveries and revelations are expected in the coming days.

In a tweet Punjab director general of police, Gaurav Yadav said, “In a major breakthrough Gurdaspur police busted an international gang of cross border arms and narcotic smugglers while making a huge recovery… A major extortion and target killing was averted. The entire ecosystem linked within gangs was unearthed.”