Punjab: 4 held with 10kg heroin, arms module busted in Hoshiarpur

Accused were local handlers of foreign-based gangsters involved in drug trafficking and supply of illegal weapons; two foreign-made pistols, eight magazines and 40 cartridges recovered

The Hoshiarpur police on Monday busted a narcotics and illegal arms module with the arrest of four persons and recovery of nearly 10kg of heroin and two pistols, besides 40 cartridges.

The firearms which have been seized by the Hoshiarpur police.

The inter-state module was working on the directions of foreign-based gangsters, director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Monday.

An FIR had been registered under Sections 21 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act at Garhshankar police station.

Those arrested have been identified as Manjinder Singh alias Sonu, a resident of village Pathralian in Hoshiarpur, Shivam Bhandari, a resident of Dhina in Jalandhar, Sahil Masih alias Monu of village Pakhoke Tahli in Gurdaspur, and Ramel Roger of Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur.

DGP Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused were in direct contact with foreign-based gangsters and were acting as their local handlers, facilitating drug trafficking and the supply of illegal weapons in the region.

“Further investigation was underway to establish forward and backward linkages in this case to dismantle the entire network,” the DGP added.

Sharing details, Hoshiarpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Malik said that following a reliable input, police teams had set up a special checkpoint (nakabandi) in the Garhshankar area.

“During the operation, a suspicious car was intercepted, leading to the arrest of the four accused and the subsequent recovery of 9.925 kg of heroin and weapons consignment from their vehicle,” the SSP said.

The SSP further said that one of the arrested accused, Sahil Masih, was a habitual offender and was involved in firing at a police party in Batala district.

“More arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days as the investigation progresses, he added.