Punjab police burst gang smuggling heroin

Punjab police today said it has busted a gang smuggling heroin with the arrest of four persons including an ex-army man and seized 14.8 kg of heroin.

The alleged involvement of a BSF constable posted at the Indo-Pak border in the conspiracy to smuggle heroin from Pakistan has also come to the fore during questioning of suspects, a Punjab police spokesperson said here.

In a major crackdown on smuggling of narcotics and weapons from across the border from Pakistan, the Intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police busted a gang of heroin smugglers and arrested four persons, including an ex-Army man, in this connection, he said.

Police have seized from the suspects 14.8 kg of heroin, valued approximately Rs 74 crore in the international market, along with one .30 bore Pistol, he said.

"The suspects have named one BSF constable posted at the border and two other associates as being involved in the smuggling racket," the spokesperson said.

The BSF authorities have been informed about the alleged role of the constable, the spokesperson said.

A case under the provisions of the NDPS Act, the Arms Act and other relevant provisions of the law has been registered at the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar under those arrested, Police Station, Amritsar.

The arrests followed information received by the SSOC, that some drug smugglers from border districts of Amritsar/Tarn Taran were in contact with Pak-based smugglers and were indulging in heroin smuggling through the Ramdas Sector of the Indo-Pak border.

During preliminary investigations, the accused disclosed that they were successful in bringing the drug consignment from across-the-border in the Ramdass Sector during the intervening night of June 29-30, 2018.

They were using different social media apps to communicate amongst themselves and with their Pakistan based associates, he said.