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Punjab Police bust narco-hawala module; 11 held with ₹5 crore
The DGP said the total recoveries amount to ₹1.45 crore, 2,63,630 euros, 7,000 US dollars, 10,020 Canadian dollars, 27,500 pounds and 285 dirhams
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab Police, with support from central agencies, busted a drugs module with the arrest of 11 individuals, including five smugglers, three drug hawala money couriers and three hawala traders, officials said on Monday, adding that the police recovered ₹5.09 crore drug money in multiple foreign currencies.
Addressing a press conference, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested drug peddlers as Harjinder Singh alias Ajay, 26, from Ram Talai in Amritsar; Harmanjit Singh alias Harry, 27, from Guru Nanak Colony in Amritsar; Sagar, 28, from Chheharta in Amritsar; Lavdeep Singh, 30, alias Lala from Husanpura Kalan in Batala; and Harbhaj Singh, 30, alias Bheja from Kakkar in Amritsar.
He said the drug hawala money couriers who were nabbed are Saurav alias Saurav Mahajan, 24, from Joda Phatak in Amritsar; Tanush, 28, from Ghah Mandi Chowk in Amritsar and Harminder Singh, 28, alias Harry from Damganj in Amritsar.
Police arrested three Hawala traders, Ashok Kumar Sharma, 60, owner of Phagwara-based ‘Sharma Forex Money Changer’, and his accomplices, Rajesh Kumar, 50, from Mutiarpur Mohalla in Phagwara and Amit Bansal alias Sunil, 47, from Sukhchain Nagar in Phagwara.
The DGP said the total recoveries amount to ₹1.45 crore, 2,63,630 euros, 7,000 US dollars, 10,020 Canadian dollars, 27,500 pounds and 285 dirhams.
Additionally, police recovered 372 gm gold and impounded four cars, a Mahindra XUV 300, a BMW, a Mahindra Thar and a Hyundai i10, the DGP said.
Yadav said the ANTF has identified illegal properties of the network worth hundreds of crores, and the process to freeze them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been initiated.
Police said the arrests were made during two months of investigations and follow-ups of backward and forward linkages of Harjinder Singh and Harmanjit Singh, who were arrested on January 21 after a recovery 263 gm heroin and ₹5.6 lakh drug money.
The DGP said police arrested the three hawala couriers the next day, recovered ₹47.5 lakh drug money and impounded a Mahindra XUV 300 car.
On January 24, police arrested two more drug smugglers, Sagar and Lavdeep, with ₹5 lakh, a Honda Activa scooter and 160 gm heroin, he added.
The DGP said further investigations found the role of Harbhaj Singh, an inmate lodged in Amritsar Central Jail, as the mastermind of the racket. DGP Yadav said the inmate, who was in contact with Pakistani drug smuggler Shahbaz, was brought on production warrant on January 26 and formally arrested.
Police said Shehbaz, a resident of Narowal district in Pakistan, had illegally entered India and a case was registered against him in February 2021. He was arrested and lodged in Amritsar Central Jail before being deported to Pakistan.
The DGP said that preliminary investigations revealed that accused Harbhaj and Harmanjit were introduced to Shehbaz when they were all in the Amritsar jail.
During interrogation, Harmanjit and Harminder told police that they were using services of Sharma Forex Money Exchanger and Forex Advisor in Phagwara to deposit drug money as per the instructions from Shehbaz, the DGP said, adding that police nominated the owner and his accomplice in the case and arrested them on March 17 and March 18, respectively.
Yadav said police arrested Rajesh, another of Ashok’s associates, and recovered ₹50.5 lakh.
He said more recoveries were made during questioning of the accused.
