Cross-border heroin smuggling module busted in Punjab

The Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police today claimed to have busted a gang involved in the cross-border smuggling of drugs from Pakistan with the arrest of three persons.

The State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, arrested three persons -- Dhir Singh, Harjinder Singh and Gagandeep Singh -- residents of Amritsar, the SSOC said in an official release here.

The SSOC said they have recovered three packets of heroin weighing 3 kg from the accused, who have been booked under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at police station SSOC, Amritsar.

"Accused Dhir Singh happened to be friends with one Faizal of Daud Bhaini village (Pakistan) on Facebook. Both of them got in regular touch using other social media apps. Faizal gradually got Dhir Singh involved in the business of drug smuggling. Dhir Singh engaged his relative Harjinder Singh and his friend Gagandeep Singh and they too got involved in smuggling for money," the release said.

During preliminary questioning, the accused revealed that they were trying to smuggle heroin for the past few months and had managed to cross over one consignment on the intervening night of July 2-3.

They had taken advantage of the riverine terrain of the border and the rainy weather on that night. The arrested persons will be produced in the court to seek police remand for further investigations.

The modus operandi of this gang is being shared with the BSF and other security agencies so that appropriate measures can be taken to curb such activities, the SSOC said.

In a major crackdown on smuggling of narcotics and weapons from across the border from Pakistan, the Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police had yesterday claimed to have busted another gang of heroin smugglers with the arrest of four persons, including an ex-army man, and seized 14.8 kg of heroin.