Day after farmer’s arrest, police identify key accused

THE BSF ALSO RECOVERED 3 PACKETS OF SUSPECTED NARCOTICS LYING IN AGRICULTURAL FIELDS AT THE INDO-PAK BORDER

AMRITSAR: The Punjab police on Monday identified the key accused in the smuggling of drugs at the India-Pakistan border, a day after the border security force (BSF) arrested a farmer with 1 kg heroin when he was returning back after tilling his fields between the barbed wire fence and the zero line.

Pooran Singh of Hardo Rattan village situated near the Attari border, who owns around five acres of agricultural land on both sides of the barbed wire fence, was identified after police got inputs from Dilbagh Singh of the same village, who was arrested on Sunday.

“Dilbagh has told us that he was clearing the consignment of heroin from his field at the instance of one Pooran Singh of his village. We have found that Pooran also owns around five acres of agricultural land on both sides of the barbed wire fence,” a senior Punjab police official, who didn’t wish to be named, said.

“Though there is no criminal case registered against Pooran so far, our investigation has found that he had been working for the smuggling of heroin for the past a few months. He has been absconding and our teams have launched a hunt to nab him,” the official said.

Sources said Pooran was allegedly in contact with some Indian and Pakistani smugglers for the smuggling of heroin. He was also using some poor farmers and labourers for clearing the consignments of heroin from across the border, they added.

On Monday, a BSF Kisan guard party recovered three packets of suspected narcotics lying in agricultural fields ahead of the fence in the Amritsar Sector area.