Police trace peddlers’ links with Pakistani smugglers

OFFICIALS SAY THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED 3 PAK NATIONALS INVOLVED IN SMUGGLING; TRYING TO FIND WHOM NABBED SUSPECTS WERE SUPPLYING HEROIN

AMRITSAR: Police have traced the links of six peddlers, arrested in connection with the recovery of 15kg heroin here on Friday, with three Pakistani smugglers.

Police said the peddlers had been getting supply of heroin cleared from across the border. They kept changing their destinations to avoid suspicion and deceive security agencies for last few months.

A senior police official, privy to the investigation, said they have identified three Pakistanbased smugglers as Abad Ali of Narowal district and Bittu and Zabeehulla of Kasur district in Pakistan.

He said, “During accused’s questioning, we have come to know that the Pakistani smugglers had been in contact with them for the last few months. The accused have told us that they had been getting supply of heroin from across the border by changing their destinations time to time. 15 kg heroin was smuggled through the India-pakistan border in Amritsar sector.”

He further said the accused had also changed their destinations in the villages of Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts, which are near the barbed fence.

A police team on Tuesday had also taken the accused along India Pakistan border from where the consignment was pushed into Indian side.

The investigating officials said they were also working on to find whom the accused had been supplying heroin.

Preliminary investigation had revealed that the six had to deliver the contraband to other peddlers for ferrying the same to metro cities and in the rural belts.

Earlier, counter-intelligence wing of Punjab Police on Friday had arrested six peddlers—

Balkar Singh of Khusupura village (Amritsar), Dalbir Singh of Kotli Dusandhi (Amritsar), Bhupinder Singh of Cheema Kalan (Tarn Taran), Bittu Singh of Khoga (Amritsar), Surjit Singh of Saidpur Kalan (Amritsar) and Gurjant Singh of Cheema Kalan (Tarn Taran)—and recovered 15kg heroin from their possession at Ghonewal village under Ramdas police station in Amritsar district.

The police team led by deputy suprintendent of police (DSP) Balbir Singh, counter intelligence (Amritsar), had also recovered a Swift car (PB 30-R 9177), two motorcycles — a Hero Passion (PB 14-B 8520) and a Bajaj Platina (PB 02-BX 6954) — from their possession. The recovery was made during a barricading which was installed after receiving a tip-off about the accused.

Police had registered a case under the relevant Sections 21-25-19-61-85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against the accused at the police station, Punjab state special operation (PSSO) cell, Amritsar.