Hindustan Times (Patiala)

AMRITSAR: 15 KG HEROIN SEIZED NEAR BORDER

- HT Correspond­ent letterschd@hindustant­imes.com ■ The arrested accused: Gurpreet Singh (L) and Gurpal Singh.

AMRITSAR : The security agencies have recovered 15kg heroin in two separate seizures reportedly being smuggled from Pakistan and arrested two persons at Roranwala Kalan village under Gharinda police station.

The arrested men have been identified as Gurpal Singh and Gurpreet Singh—both in their 20s—of Roranwala Kalan village, which is a few hundreds metres away from India-Pakistan border. Senior superinten­dent of police (SSP-rural) Vikaramjit Singh Duggal said Gharinda Police intercepte­d the two “big fish” at the outskirts of the village with the contraband after receiving a tip-off. The consignmen­t appears to have come from across the border, he said, adding that the duo were out to deliver the consignmen­t.

He said a case under Sections 21, 25, 29, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act, 1985, at Gharinda police station.

Sources from the department said the arrested accused have agricultur­e land along and across the barbed fence in the village, which is near to the Attari railway station.

Duggal, however, said, further investigat­ions are on to track national and internatio­nal links of the smugglers. More arrests are likely to follow, he added.

Sources said the heroin was to be delivered to an Amritsarba­sed man.

Intelligen­ce officials said the arrested accused are the same who managed to flee when border security force (BSF) troopers opened fire while the consignmen­t was being cleared near border outpost (BoP) Roranwala during the intervenin­g night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

BSF troopers on Wednesday morning have seized six packets of heroin weighing approximat­ely 3kg from the areas under two different border outposts (BOPs)—Bharopal and Roranwala—falling in Amritsar sector of Internatio­nal border with Pakistan.

“During the wee hours of Wednesday, BSF personnel noticed some suspicious movement along the security fence and challenged the smugglers and opened fire on them. However, the smugglers taking advantage of dark and fully-grown paddy managed to escape, said BSF officials in a press release.

They said, “Later, during the search, four packets of heroin (weighing 2kg) and one packet (weighing 1kg) of the contraband suspected to be heroin were recovered in the area of responsibi­lity of the two border outposts .”

“The enhanced vigil of the BSF has once again thwarted the attempt of anti-national elements from across the border to push the consignmen­t of contraband into India,” they added.

During 2019, BSF troopers have seized 152.42Kg heroin and 366 gram of opium while it has apprehende­d 60 trying to cross the border and 11 smugglers. It has also recovered four weapons, 235 live cartridges, 17 SIM cards (Indian), 8 SIM cards (Pakistan) and 17 mobile phones.

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