Biggest seizure of heroin in Punjab this year
A pistol and Pakistani SIM recovered from Hussainiwala border in Ferozepur
FEROZEPUR: In the biggest seizure of heroin in the state this year, the Border Security Force and the counter-intelligence wing of Punjab Police arrested three smugglers with 22 kg of heroin, a pistol and a Pakistani SIM, amid gunshots along the Indo-Pakistan border, on Friday night.
FEROZEPUR: In the biggest seizure of heroin in the state this year, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the counter-intelligence wing of the state police arrested three smugglers with 22-kg of heroin, a pistol and a Pakistani SIM, amid gunshots along the Indo-Pakistan border, about midnight on Friday.
In the joint operation, carried out after the counter-intelligence wing received a tip-off, the forces had kept pillar 187/17 on the border out-post of Ghatti Rajo Ke, in the Hussainiwala sector of Ferozepur, under special observation. “About midnight, the team posted at the border out-post noticed movement across the fencing. On being challenged, there was firing from the other side. In retaliation, BSF personnel also fired,” said BS Rajpurohit, DIG, BSF, Ferozepur.
DGP Intelligence Dinkar Gupta supervised the operation.
“Taking cover of darkness, men from Pakistan who wanted to intrude fled. However, the counter-intelligence team arrested three men near the spot. Gurdeep Singh, Mahavir Singh and Sukhbir Singh, residents of Dhun Dhai Wala village in Tarn Taran, were held, while trying to flee in a car,” said Narinder Pal Singh Ruby, assistant inspector general, counter-intelligence, Ferozepur.
The contraband and weapons — 22kg of heroin, a pistol with 11 cartridges and magazine and the Pakistani SIM — were recovered after a search of the area around the border out-post.
Police sources said the main suspect, notorious smuggler Manjit Singh alias Manna son of Jarnail Singh, of Dhun Dhai Wala village in Tarn Taran, managed to escape. “He is one of the big fish in the drug trade in the state,” a senior official said. The special observation was set up on specific information that Manna and his brothers would attempt to take delivery of a large consignment of heroin and arms. A spokesperson of Punjab Police in Chandigarh said Pakistani smuggler Nawab, along with his associates, was throwing the consignment over the fence and BSF jawans called out to them to stop. However, the smugglers opened fire, forcing the BSF jawans to retaliate.
A case under the NDPS Act and the Arms Act has been registered against the accused at the Sadar police station.