— 2-MONTH-LONG JAIL-BASED INTERCEPTION LEADS TO EXPOSURE OF NETWORK OPERATED BY PAKISTAN-BASED HANDLERS: DGP GAURAV YADAV
— PAKISTAN-BASED HANDLERS WERE USING DRONES TO DROP CONSIGNMENTS FROM ACROSS BORDER: SSP FARIDKOT DR PRAGYA JAIN
CHANDIGARH/FARIDKOT, February 22:
In a major blow to the trans-border narcotic network amidst the ongoing “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign to make Punjab a drug-free state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Faridkot Police has busted a Pakistan-backed international drug cartel with the arrest of six individuals, including an army personnel and dismissed police personnel, and recovered 4.8 kg heroin and one .30 bore pistol along with three live cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
Those arrested have been identified as Jarnail Singh alias Goldy of Ludhiana, who is currently serving in the Indian Army; Amardeep Singh alias Boxer (a dismissed PAP cadre employee) and Dimple Rani of Ferozepur; Ramandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba, and Amritpal Singh alias Abhijot, all residents of Moga. Apart from recovering the contraband, the police teams also seized ₹30,000 drug money and impounded their two vehicles, including Thar and XUV-500, which they were using for drug trafficking.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the breakthrough is the result of a meticulously planned, intelligence-led operation and a 2-month-long jail-based interception that exposed the deep-rooted linkages of the cartel. Preliminary investigation has suggested that the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers who were using drones to push heroin consignments into Indian territory, he said.
The DGP said that further investigation is ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in this case.
Sharing details of the operation, SSP Faridkot Dr Pragya Jain said that on the intervening night of February 20-21, a CIA Staff team intercepted a Thar vehicle near Green Avenue. A search conducted under the supervision of DSP (Faridkot) Tarlochan Singh led to the recovery of 1.008 kg heroin and drug money, leading to the immediate arrest of four occupants.
“During subsequent interrogation, it was revealed that the consignment was supplied by Amardeep Singh alias Boxer in an XUV-500 vehicle. Acting on this lead, police teams intercepted Boxer and his associate Dimple Rani near village Goleana Semnala, recovering an additional 3.796 kg heroin and a .30 bore pistol from their possession,” said the SSP.
Dr Pragya Jain further highlighted that the main kingpin, Amardeep Singh alias Boxer, is a habitual offender with nine previous criminal cases, while other members also have significant criminal records under the NDPS and Arms Acts. The involvement of a serving Army personnel and a dismissed police official points toward a sophisticated network capable of exploiting institutional knowledge for trafficking. They misused their official identification cards for easy passage through nakas and toll plazas. The use of women accomplices in vehicles , also point to well – thought out modus operandi for narcotics smuggling.
The police have obtained remand for all the accused to further investigate the forward and backward linkages, specifically focusing on the handlers operating from across the border and the local distribution points.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 95 dated 21.02.2026 has been registered under sections 21(c) and 27A of the NDPS Act at Police Station City Faridkot.
