Punjab busts cartel in cross-border operation

Dealing a major blow to a cross-border drug smuggling amidst the ongoing anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Commissionerate Police Amritsar has busted an International Narco Trafficking Cartel with the arrest its three operatives and recovered 10.2 kg heroin from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.

The arrested drug smugglers have been identified as Akashdeep Singh (22) and Akash alias Mota (19), both residents of Cheema Kalan in Tarn Taran; and Sandeep Singh (30), a resident of Kotli Vasawa Singh in Tarn Taran. Apart from recovering haul of heroin, police teams have also impounded their two motorcycles, which were being used to deliver the heroin.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary probe has revealed that arrested accused Akashdeep Singh and Sandeep Singh remained in touch with Pakistan smugglers from across the border for the past 6 years. The latter were using drones to deliver heroin consignments across the border, which was then distributed at various locations for further distribution, he said.

The DGP said that further investigations are underway to trace backward and forward linkages in this network.

Sharing operation details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on reliable inputs, a team under the supervision of DCP Detective Ravinderpal Singh, ADCP Detective Jagbinder Singh and ACP Detective Harminder Singh Sandhu and led by Incharge CIA Staff-1 Amolakdeep Singh, successfully apprehended the accused Akashdeep Singh and Akash alias Mota from Gurudwara Bohri Sahib road, along with 1.01 kg heroin and a motorcycle.

He said that based on the interrogation of arrested accused persons, police teams have also arrested their accomplice Sandeep Singh from Chabhal Road along with 9.2 kg of heroin and a motorcycle.

The CP said that accused Sandeep had been involved in supplying heroin since 2018–19 and is suspected to have smuggled over 200 kilograms of heroin so far. Police remand has been obtained to interrogate the accused and uncover their entire network, he said, while, adding that more arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days.

A case FIR No. 127 dated 16-05-2025 has been registered under sections 21-C, 23 and 29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station Islamabad in Amritsar.