Gujarat cops in Amritsar to join Punjab STF in probing heroin seizure

A two-member Gujarat Police team reached Amritsar on Tuesday to join Punjab Police for further investigations into the recent 200 kg heroin haul in the district, officials said.

Authorities believe that the 194 kg heroin seized by Punjab Police's Special Task Force (STF) on January 31 was part of a 300 kg consignment that they suspect reached Mandvi coast in Gujarat in 2018.

The recent seizure was made after the arrest of six people, including an Afghanistan national and a woman.

The STF has also named Sahil Sharma, the son of a Congress Councillor in Amritsar, in this case, according to police officials.

Sharma's name cropped up in the case after investigations revealed that he was allegedly involved in storing drugs at a house on Majitha road for a week before being shifted to a house in Sultanwind village in Amritsar where the drugs were seized.

On Tuesday, the officials said inspector rank investigating officers from Gujarat will be questioning the accused in the case pertaining to the smuggling of 300 kg heroin from Pakistan.

The Punjab Police's STF had seized 194 kg heroin and other contraband from a rented house in Akash Avenue in Sultanwind in Amritsar district last week.

Simranjit Sindh Sandhu, a resident of Ranjit Avenue in Amritsar and a proclaimed offender, is the alleged kingpin of the drug racket busted by the STF.

Sandhu was also wanted in the 300-kg heroin smuggling case registered in Gujarat. Sandhu was detained by the Interpol in Italy on the request of the Gujarat Police.

"A two-member team of investigating officers of Gujarat ATS will join us in the investigation. It will help us in tracking the drug consignment," an STF officer said on Tuesday.

" We have also asked certain details pertaining to their case (300 kg heroin smuggling case)," the officer added.

Earlier, after the heroin seizure in Amritsar, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said the contraband appeared to be part of the consignment of 300 kg of drugs that arrived in Mandvi in Gujarat.

Meanwhile, the STF on Tuesday seized three kg heroin from the residence of Ankush Kapoor, one of the accused in the 194-kg drugs seizure case.

"We have recovered three kg of heroin and some chemicals from the residence of Ankush," an STF official said.