CHANDIGARH: Anti-Narcotics Task Force of Punjab Police on Saturday recovered 50 kg of heroin worth Rs 250 crore after busting a trans-border drug trafficking module in Ferozepur.
Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has arrested a Kapurthala-based notorious drug smuggler and recovered 50 kg of heroin from his possession.
The arrested accused has been identified as Sandeep Singh alias Seepa, a resident of Shanna Sher Singh Wala village in Kapurthala. Police teams have also impounded his white Kia Seltos (PB09AQ3598), in which he was travelling.
Yadav said preliminary investigation has revealed that this trans-border shipment of heroin was sent by ISI-backed smugglers in Pakistan. He added that Sandeep is a history-sheeter with eight criminal cases against him, including five under the NDPS Act, indicating his deep involvement in organised drug trafficking. The accused was recently released from Kapurthala Jail.
The DGP said further investigations are underway to establish linkages, and more recoveries are likely in the coming days.
Sharing operational details, Additional Director General of Police (ANTF) Nilabh Kishore said that acting on precise technical intelligence, ANTF teams were tracking the movement of the accused after he was released from jail earlier this month. Intelligence suggested that the suspect had collected a heavy consignment of contraband from the border village of Baggeke Utar in Jalalabad.
Acting swiftly, ANTF teams spotted the suspect driving towards Ferozepur. When challenged, he attempted to evade arrest, leading to a pursuit by the police.
The suspect was eventually intercepted at Rauke village following a brief encounter, during which he tried to run his vehicle over the police party. The probe is ongoing to identify the intended recipients of the consignment.
A case (FIR No. 302) dated November 21 has been registered under Section 21 of the NDPS Act at Police Station ANTF in SAS Nagar.