In a significant blow to cross-border narcotics trafficking, a joint team of the Punjab Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) has seized a large consignment of heroin and arrested four individuals, including a key operative managing the supply chain from Pakistan. The operation took place near the border in Amritsar.
Major Haul and Arrests Near the Border
Acting on reliable intelligence, the security forces intercepted the accused who had gone to the border area to retrieve a heroin consignment suspected to have been smuggled via drone. The joint team laid a strategic checkpoint (naka) and successfully apprehended all four individuals along with a Maruti Brezza car used in the crime.
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, addressing the media on Tuesday, identified the arrested persons as Sahibjit Singh (alias Sahib), Rajwinder Singh (alias Golu), Ashu Sharma (alias Ashu), all residents of Amritsar district, and a 17-year-old juvenile from Amritsar.
Heroin Recovered from Fields in Follow-up Search
Following the initial arrests, based on disclosures made by the accused, a joint search operation was conducted in the border area near Ghogga border outpost, under Bhindi Saidan police station's jurisdiction. During this search, officials recovered 19.98 kilograms of heroin, packed in five separate packets, from the fields near Bhindi Aulakh village. Two motorcycles were also seized from the accused.
SP Gurpreet Singh of ANTF (border range) stated that the preliminary investigation has revealed the accused were directly linked to handlers based in Pakistan. They were responsible for coordinating the delivery and distribution of drug consignments across the region.
Ongoing Investigation to Dismantle Network
DGP Gaurav Yadav emphasized that this operation has disrupted a critical link in the cross-border drug supply chain. "Further investigation is underway to identify the cross-border handlers, trace the complete supply routes, and dismantle the entire network," he said. An FIR in the case has been registered at the ANTF police station in SAS Nagar.
This joint operation underscores the continued vigilance and coordinated efforts of the Punjab Police and BSF in combating the menace of drug smuggling from across the international border, a persistent challenge for the state's security apparatus.
