Amritsar Commissionerate Police on Thursday arrested three individuals involved in cross-border organised arms and hawala network, director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said.
Those arrested have been identified as Harpreet Singh (23), a resident of Kot Mehtab village in Amritsar district, along with two Tarn Taran-based residents, Gurpal Singh (21), of Sursingh village, and Ranjodh Singh (33), of Viring village.
“Police teams have also recovered 2.02 kg heroin, four pistols, including one Glock and three .30-bore pistols, and ₹3.5 lakh hawala money from their possession, besides impounding their motorcycle,” the DGP added.
Yadav said that the gang was using drones to smuggle heroin and weapons from Pakistan and had an active presence in the border areas of Punjab. “Preliminary investigation has revealed the arrested accused, Harpreet Singh and Gurpal Singh, who earlier went to Malaysia, are linked with cross-border smugglers,” he said.
The DGP said that a case has been registered under sections 21C, 27A, 27B, and 29 of the NDPS Act and section 25 of the Arms Act at the police station Gate Hakiman, and further investigation is underway to establish forward and backwards linkages in this case to expose the complete nexus.
Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the accused Harpreet and Gurpal were earlier arrested with 220 grams of heroin along with a motorcycle. “Further on their disclosure, police teams have recovered 1.8 kg more heroin along with two .30-bore pistols from the pinpointed spot,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Amritsar commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the accused Harpreet and Gurpal were earlier arrested with 220 grams of heroin along with a motorcycle. “Further on their disclosure, police teams have recovered 1.8 kg more heroin along with two .30-bore pistols from the pinpointed spot,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He said that a probe has revealed that the accused Harpreet went to Malaysia in 2023 and returned after seven months, while Gurpal went in 2022 and returned in 2023. They were not known to each other in Malaysia but were in contact with a same Pakistan-based smuggler, and on the latter’s directions they received the consignments.
The CP said that on further disclosure of Gurpal Singh, one more accused Ranjodh, was nominated during the investigation and was arrested along with two pistols and ₹3.5 lakh drug money.
This drug money from the contraband trade was to be routed through hawala to Pakistan, he added.