CHANDIGARH: Almost after a year Punjab and Haryana Police, in a joint operation, on Saturday, arrested the dreaded drug smuggler Ranjeet Rana, his brother and brother-in-law in the 532 Kg heroin haul case worth around Rs 2,700 crore in the intentional market.
Sources said that for the last seven to eight months Rana and his brother Gagandeep were living at a rented accommodation in Begu village in Sirsa district of Haryana. They moved to this house on the intervention of their brother-in-law who lived nearby in another village.
On a tip-off from the NIA, Punjab and Haryana Police raided the house today morning and arrested them and took them to Amritsar.
Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said that Ranjeet Rana alias Cheeta who was wanted in 532 kg heroin haul from the Indo-Pakistan border on June 29, 2019, was arrested from Sirsa town of Haryana.
Gupta tweeted, "Ranjeet Rana & his brother Gagandeep@Bhola arrested from Begu village in Sirsa, Haryana. Ranjit Rana @Cheeta, suspected to have smuggled in heroin & other drugs from Pakistan, camouflaged in as many as 6 rock salt consignments through ICP Amritsar between 2018-2019."
"Following up further on arrests of Hizbul operatives in J&K and Punjab, Punjab Police juggernaut moved further to nab Ranjeet of Amritsar, one of the biggest drug smugglers of India from Sirsa today," he said in another tweet.
Sources allege that Ranjeet is alleged to have smuggled heroin and other drugs from Pakistan, camouflaged in six rock salt consignments through the Integrated Check Post at the Attari border on June 26, 2019.
Some 532 kilograms of heroin was seized from the Integrated Check Post at Attari border on June 30, last year as it was being smuggled into India from Pakistan in a consignment of rock salt which was ordered by a local trader.
It was one of the largest ever seizer in the country till date as this consignment is worth around Rs 2,700 crore in the intentional market.
During the examination of rock salt granules consignment which came from Pakistan undertaken by the Customs Staff posted at ICP, Attari. One sack of the said consignment was found to have white colour powdered granular substance.
Upon detailed examination of 600 bags, 15 bags contained Heroin (as per preliminary testing kit of NDPS) having net weight of 532 Kgs and mixed narcotics of 52 Kgs.
From every bag one kilogram of heroin came out as it had straight come from Afghanistan.