— ARRESTED ACCUSED WERE ACTING AS LOCAL HANDLERS FOR FOREIGN-BASED GANGSTERS: DGP GAURAV YADAV
— ONE OF THE ARRESTED ACCUSED WAS ALSO WANTED IN FIRING AT POLICE PARTY CASE IN BATALA: SSP HOSHIARPUR SANDEEP MALIK
CHANDIGARH/HOSHIARPUR, April 20:
In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Hoshiarpur Police has busted a major inter-state/foreign-linked narcotics and illegal arms module with the arrest of its four operatives and recovered 9.925 kg of heroin, two .30 bore foreign-made pistols along with eight magazines and 40 live cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.
Those arrested have been identified as Manjinder Singh alias Sonu, a resident of village Pathralian in Hoshiarpur; Shivam Bhandari, a resident of Dhina in Jalandhar; Sahil Masih alias Monu of village Pakhoke Tahli in Gurdaspur; and Ramel Roger of Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused were in direct contact with foreign-based gangsters and were acting as their local handlers, facilitating drug trafficking and the supply of illegal weapons in the region.
The DGP said that further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages in this case to dismantle the entire network.
Sharing operational details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hoshiarpur Sandeep Kumar Malik said that following a reliable input, Police teams have set up a special checkpoint (nakabandi) in the jurisdiction of Garhshankar. During the operation, an i-20 car was intercepted on a suspicion basis, leading to the apprehension of the four accused and the subsequent recovery of the heroin and weapons consignment from their vehicle, he said.
The SSP further said that one of the arrested accused, Sahil Masih, is a habitual offender and is also involved in firing at a police party in District Batala. More arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days as the investigation progresses, he added.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 61 dated 19-04-2026 has been registered under sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act and section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur.
