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Punjab: Three of family arrested with 10kg heroin, 2 AK rifles
According to director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the arrests were made as part of the ongoing drive to strengthen security and curb organised criminal and narcotics networks in the state
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Punjab Police busted an illegal arms and narcotics supply network in Amritsar, arresting three members of a family with 10kg heroin, an AK-47 and AK-56 assault rifles, four magazines and 10 live cartridges, officials said on Tuesday.
According to director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the arrests were made as part of the ongoing drive to strengthen security and curb organised criminal and narcotics networks in the state.
The arrested persons have been identified as Sandeep Singh (32) and his wife Kamaljit Kaur (31), both residents of Brar village in Amritsar Rural, and Kamaljit brother Bikramjit Singh (23), a resident of Gumanpura village in the district.
Police said Sandeep is a history-sheeter and has four criminal cases registered against him under various provisions, including the Arms Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The DGP said preliminary investigation indicated that the accused were allegedly linked to smugglers operating from abroad and were involved in procuring illegal weapons and narcotics for further distribution in Punjab.
He said the investigation was underway to identify other persons involved in the smuggling chain.
Inspector general of police (IGP), border range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the arrests followed specific intelligence inputs received by the police.
Acting on the information, teams from Gharinda police station conducted a targeted operation and apprehended the accused. The contraband and weapons were subsequently recovered from their possession, officials said.
Police said the accused had taken around one acre land on lease for a guava orchard in Modhe village, located approximately 500 metres from the India-Pakistan border fence.
Investigators suspect that the border-adjacent orchard was being used as a landing and retrieval point for consignments allegedly dropped by drones from across the border.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Amritsar Rural, Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal said preliminary investigation suggested that Sandeep and his wife were jointly managing the cross-border smuggling operations. Kamaljit’s brother worked as a courier and assisted in retrieving, transporting and delivering the consignments, the SSP said.
A case has been registered under Sections 21, 23 and 29 of the NDPS Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act at the Gharinda police station in Amritsar Rural.
