— ARRESTED ACCUSED LINKED TO CROSS-BORDER SMUGGLING NETWORK OF HEROIN AND ILLEGAL ARMS INTO STATE: DGP GAURAV YADAV
— GANG WAS RETRIEVING DRONE-DROPPED CONSIGNMENTS FROM BORDER AREAS OF FAZILKA AND FEROZEPUR: SSP FARIDKOT GURBANS BAINS
CHANDIGARH/FARIDKOT, September 20:
In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Faridkot Police has busted a cross-border heroin smuggling network with the arrest of four operatives and recovered 47.3 kg heroin, three .30 bore pistols along with three magazines and 15 live cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
Those arrested have been identified as Ankush, a resident of Ghubaya in Ferozepur; Mangal Singh, a resident of Panje Ke Utar in Ferozepur; Sachin alias Sanju, a resident of Parbhat Singh Wala in Ferozepur; and Anmol Singh, a resident of Lamochar Khurd in Ferozepur. Apart from recovering big haul of heroin, police teams have also impounded their two—a Honda City and a Hyundai Aura—used in the smuggling operations.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused are linked to a network involved in cross-border smuggling of heroin and illegal arms into the state. Further investigation is underway to uncover the wider network and establish its forward and backward linkages, he said.
Sharing operational details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurbans Singh Bains said that during special nakabandi laid in view of the forthcoming Baba Farid Agman Purab festival, a team from CIA Faridkot intercepted a Honda City car on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The police team apprehended the four occupants and, upon conducting a search, seized the massive consignment of 47.3 kg of heroin along with the illegal weapons and ammunition, he said.
The SSP said that probe has also revealed that the gang was receiving consignments of heroin and weapons dropped via drones from across the border in the border areas of Fazilka and Ferozepur districts for further distribution in the state. Further investigation is ongoing, he added.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 187 dated 20-09-2026 under section 21(c) of the NDPS Act and sections 25(6) and 25(7) of the Arms Act has been registered at Police Station Sadiq in Faridkot.
