Ex-armyman among 4 arrested with 15kg heroin

AMRITSAR: The state special operations cell of Punjab Police on Tuesday busted a gang smuggling drugs and weapons with the arrest of four persons, including an ex-armyman and seized 15kg of heroin.

The alleged involvement of a Border Security Force (BSF) constable posted at the Indo-pak border in the conspiracy to smuggle heroin from Pakistan has also come to the fore during questioning of suspects, a Punjab Police spokesperson said.

Police have seized from the suspects 14.8 kg of heroin, along with a .30 bore pistol, he said. “The suspects have named a BSF constable posted at the border and two other associates as being involved in the smuggling racket,” the spokesperson said. The BSF authorities have been informed about the alleged role of the constable, the spokesperson said.

A case under the provisions of the NDPS Act, Arms Act and other relevant provisions of the law has been registered at the state special operation cell, Amritsar, against those arrested.

Those arrested have been identified as Tarwinder Singh (ex-serviceman, who served in 13 Sikh as a sepoy for 16 years) of Nawan Jiwan village in Amritsar, Sukhraj Singh of Chak Pandori village, Amritsar, and Gurlal Singh and Sarabjit Singh of Bidhi Chand Chinna village, Tarn Taran.

They were using social media apps to communicate amongst themselves and with their Pakistan based associates, he said.

The arrests followed information received by the cell that some drug smugglers from border districts of Amritsar/tarn Taran were in contact with Pakbased smugglers and were indulging in heroin smuggling through the Ramdas sector of the Indo-pak border.

During preliminary investigation, the accused disclosed that they were successful in bringing the drug consignment from across the border in the Ramdass sector during the intervening night of June 29 and 30.

They also revealed that BSF constable Chenthilraj Kanagaraj, who was on duty on the border on that night, was part of their conspiracy to smuggle heroin from Pakistan.

They also disclosed names of two of their associates, Bikramjit Singh of Manjh village in Amritsar and Gurjant Singh of Sarangra village also in Amritsar, who were part of the gang. Efforts are afoot to apprehend these 2 remaining heroin smugglers, said the spokesperson.