AI Generated Summary
- Law enforcement officials emphasize that the crackdown serves as a stern warning to those involved in cross-border drug trafficking and reaffirm their commitment to dismantling similar networks in the region.
- “Our preliminary investigation suggests that two of the arrested men—Akashdeep Singh and Sandeep Singh—have maintained contacts with handlers across the border for the last six years, using unmanned aerial vehicles to signal and receive heroin shipments,” Mr.
- The operation, which targeted a well-entrenched network believed to be liaising with Pakistan-based smugglers, also resulted in the seizure of two motorcycles used for distributing the illicit consignments.
In a significant breakthrough against transnational drug smuggling, Amritsar police have arrested three men and recovered 10.2 kilograms of heroin following coordinated raids across the city. The operation, which targeted a well-entrenched network believed to be liaising with Pakistan-based smugglers, also resulted in the seizure of two motorcycles used for distributing the illicit consignments.
According to Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, intelligence indicated that the gang had been orchestrating drone-aided heroin drops along the India–Pakistan border. “Our preliminary investigation suggests that two of the arrested men—Akashdeep Singh and Sandeep Singh—have maintained contacts with handlers across the border for the last six years, using unmanned aerial vehicles to signal and receive heroin shipments,” Mr. Yadav said. “These consignments were then ferried to various distribution points throughout northern India.”
The operation unfolded in two stages. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar reported that officers acting on actionable intelligence first apprehended 22-year-old barber Akashdeep Singh and 19-year-old Akash “Mota” from a lane off Gurdwara Bohri Sahib Road. At the time of arrest, the pair were in possession of 1.01 kg of heroin and a motorcycle loaded with the narcotic.
Interrogation of the duo led investigators to 30-year-old Sandeep Singh, a resident of Kotli Vasawa Singh village in Tarn Taran district, who was detained on Chabhal Road. From Sandeep’s vehicle, police recovered an additional 9.2 kg of heroin. Local authorities allege that Sandeep, who has operated in the heroin trade since 2018, may have smuggled over 200 kg of the drug during that period.
“All three accused are now in police remand, and efforts are ongoing to map out the full extent of their cartel,” Commissioner Bhullar stated. “We anticipate further arrests and narcotics recoveries as the investigation progresses.”
A formal case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at the Amritsar (Islamabad) police station. Law enforcement officials emphasize that the crackdown serves as a stern warning to those involved in cross-border drug trafficking and reaffirm their commitment to dismantling similar networks in the region.
