CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police has busted an illegal arms and drug network by arresting three people including a woman, her husband and her brother, who allegedly used a leased guava orchard, located 500 metres from the India-Pakistan border fence, to receive drug and weapons consignments dropped by drones from across the border.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday that police teams recovered 10.030 kg of heroin, two assault rifles, an AK-47 and an AK-56, along with three magazines and 10 live cartridges from the accused.
The arrested persons have been identified as Sandeep Singh (32) and his wife Kamaljit Kaur (31), both residents of Brar village in Amritsar Rural, and Kamaljit’s brother Bikramjit Singh (23), a resident of Gumanpura village in Amritsar Rural. Sandeep is a history-sheeter with four criminal cases registered against him under the Arms Act, NDPS Act and other laws.
Yadav said a preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were allegedly linked to foreign-based smugglers and were procuring illegal weapons and narcotics for further supply in the state. “Further investigation is underway to uncover the complete backward and forward linkages in this case and identify other persons involved in the network,” he said.
Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said police teams from Police Station Gharinda acted on specific intelligence and conducted a targeted operation, apprehending the trio with the contraband and weapons.
The investigation revealed that the accused had taken approximately one acre of land on lease for a guava orchard in Modhe village, around 500 metres from the India-Pakistan border fence. The orchard was allegedly used to land and retrieve drug and weapons consignments dropped by drones from across the border.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural, Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal said Sandeep and Kamaljit were jointly managing the alleged cross-border smuggling operations, while Bikramjit assisted as a courier in retrieving, transporting and delivering the consignments.
A case under Sections 21, 23 and 29 of the NDPS Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act has been registered at Police Station Gharinda in Amritsar Rural.
