Punjab: Narco-hawala cartel with Turkey links busted, three operatives held
Kingpin Navpreet Singh, originally from Punjab, is wanted by multiple agencies in several drug and hawala cases: DGP
The commissionerate police, Amritsar, busted a narco-hawala cartel linked to a Turkey-based smuggler Navpreet Singh alias Nav Bhullar with the arrest of his three operatives, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Monday.
“The arrested individuals include Gurdeep Singh alias Saab, 35, a taxi driver from Amritsar, Pardeep Sharma, 29, a garment shop worker from Bikaner, Rajasthan, and Mani Sharma, 36, a Ludhiana-based garments businessman. The police have seized 1.10kg of heroin and ₹1.06 crore in hawala money, comprising ₹84.02 lakh in cash and ₹22 lakh frozen in bank accounts. In addition, a cash counting machine and a Swift Dzire car, which was found without a number plate, were also impounded during the operation,” the DGP said.
According to the DGP, Gurdeep Singh was operating the local network for hawala and drug smuggling under the direct instructions of his handler Nav Bhullar. Bhullar had allegedly provided Gurdeep with a safehouse in Amritsar and logistic support for the cartel’s operations. Bhullar, who is based in Turkey, is reportedly wanted by various agencies for his involvement in several drug and hawala cases.
Amritsar commissioner of police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar disclosed that the operation was executed based on specific intelligence inputs. The arrest of Gurdeep Singh was carried out by Amolakdeep Singh, in-charge CIA-1, and his team, who strategically formed multiple units and apprehended Gurdeep from Ram Tirath Road and recovered the drug consignment and drug money from his possession.
“Gurdeep Singh revealed the involvement of Pardeep Sharma and Mani Sharma, who had delivered ₹5 lakh each in drug money. Following this lead, the police tracked down and arrested Pardeep and Mani,” the CP said.
An FIR no 76 dated 06-05-2025 has been registered at the police station cantonment in Amritsar under Sections 21-C, 27-A, 25 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Further investigations are underway to identify other members of the cartel.
