— PUNJAB POLICE COMMITTED TO MAKING PUNJAB A DRUG-FREE STATE AS PER DIRECTIONS OF CM BHAGWANT SINGH MANN
— ARRESTED ACCUSED’S ASSOCIATE KULWINDER SINGH ON THE RUN; MANHUNT ON TO NAB HIM, SAYS DGP GAURAV YADAV
— DRUG CONSIGNMENTS WERE BEING SMUGGLED VIA DRONES FROM PAKISTAN: ADGP ANTF NILABH KISHORE
CHANDIGARH, April 11:
Striking a major blow to the cross-border drug smuggling amidst the ongoing anti-drugs campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) apprehended a key drug trafficker and recovered 18.2 kg heroin from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.
The arrested drug smuggler has been identified as Hira Singh alias Hira, a resident of Village Khaira in Amritsar. Apart from recovering big haul of heroin, police teams have also impounded his HF Deluxe motorcycle (PB 02 BW 7803), which he was riding.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that accused Hira Singh and his associate identified Kulwinder Singh alias Kinda of of village Dauke in Amritsar, were in touch with Pakistan-based drug trafficker identified as Billa. The latter has been using drones to drop the large consignments of heroin from across the border for the past one year, he said.
The DGP said that raids are being conducted to nab accused Kulwinder Singh. Further investigations are on to establish forward and backward linkages in this case, he added.
Sharing more details, ADGP ANTF Nilabh Kishore said that police teams of ANTF Border Range Amritsar had received a reliable input that accused Hira Singh and Kulwinder Singh are notorious drug smugglers and had been receiving heroin consignments via drones from a Pak-based drug smugglers for the past year.
Acting swiftly, Police teams led by SP ANTF Amritsar Gupreet Singh launched an operation and arrested the accused Hira Singh, when he was leaving his house on a motorcycle to deliver the heroin consignment. Police teams have recovered 12 packet of heroin (1.5 kg each), totalling 18 kg 227 gm, from his possession, he said.
The ADGP said that in order to break the chain of Heroin supply, the interrogation will be conducted of an arrested accused. Thereafter, action will be taken against the culprits on the basis of facts, he added.
A case FIR No. 94 dated 10.04.2025 has been registered under sections 21-C, 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station ANTF, SAS Nagar.
