Punjab Police busts Pak-linked drug-hawala network, 11 arrested

Punjab Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), in coordination with central agencies, has dismantled a major narco-terrorism hawala network as part of the ongoing anti-drugs campaign, ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh.’

This operation, conducted under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann's directives, led to the arrest of 11 individuals, including five drug smugglers, three hawala money couriers, and three hawala traders. Additionally, authorities seized foreign currency amounting to ₹5.09 crore.

The arrested drug smugglers have been identified as Harjinder Singh alias Ajay (26), Harmanjit Singh alias Harry (27), Sagar (28), Lavdeep Singh alias Lala (30), and Harbhaj Singh alias Bheja (30), all from Amritsar and Batala. The hawala money couriers include Saurav alias Saurav Mahajan (24), Tanush (28), and Harminder Singh alias Harry (28), while the hawala traders are Ashok Kumar Sharma (60), owner of Sharma Forex Money Changer in Phagwara, and his associates Rajesh Kumar (50) and Amit Bansal alias Sunil (47).

This breakthrough follows two months of investigation stemming from the January 21, 2025, arrest of Harjinder Singh alias Ajay and Harmanjit Singh alias Harry, from whom police recovered 263 grams of heroin and ₹5.60 lakh in drug money. The probe led to the arrests of hawala money couriers on January 22, who were found with ₹47.50 lakh and a Mahindra XUV 300. On January 24, two more drug smugglers, Sagar and Lavdeep, were arrested with ₹5 lakh, an Activa scooter, and 160 grams of heroin.

Further inquiries exposed the involvement of Harbhaj Singh alias Bheja, an inmate in Amritsar Central Jail, as the mastermind of the operation. Investigators found that he was in direct contact with Pakistani drug smuggler Shehbaz while behind bars. On January 26, he was formally arrested. Shehbaz, a resident of Burewal in Narowal, Pakistan, had previously been imprisoned in India in 2021 before his deportation.

DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that preliminary findings revealed that Harbhaj Singh and Harmanjit Harry were introduced to Shehbaz while incarcerated. After their release, Shehbaz re-established contact via mobile phones to continue the drug trade, enlisting others, including Harminder Harry. Interrogations revealed that the accused were using Sharma Forex Money Changer in Phagwara to launder drug money. Based on this information, police arrested the forex firm's owner, Ashok Sharma, along with his associates Sunil and Rajesh alias Bobby. A total of ₹50.50 lakh was recovered from Bobby’s residence.

Subsequent searches resulted in the seizure of an additional ₹36.59 lakh in cash, bringing the total Indian currency recovered to ₹1.45 crore. Authorities also confiscated 2,63,630 Euros, 7,000 US Dollars, 10,020 Canadian Dollars, 27,500 Pounds, and 285 Dirhams. Additionally, 372 grams of gold and four luxury vehicles, including a BMW, Mahindra Thar Automatic, Hyundai i10, and a Mahindra XUV 300, were impounded.

DGP Yadav revealed that the ANTF had identified illegal properties worth hundreds of crores linked to this network, and action has been initiated to freeze them under Section 68F of the NDPS Act. The investigation has so far traced the network's reach from Amritsar to Tarn Taran, Phagwara, and Panchkula. "Police teams have nominated seven more individuals in this case, and efforts are underway to apprehend them," he added.

Providing an update on the anti-drug drive, ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh,’ DGP Yadav reported that since March 1, 2025, Punjab Police has arrested 3,868 drug smugglers and registered 2,177 FIRs. During this period, law enforcement recovered 135.5 kg of heroin, 82.9 kg of opium, 1,419 kg of poppy husk, 34.24 kg of ganja, 7.58 lakh intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, 1 kg of ICE, and ₹5.42 crore in drug money.