Punjab: Six arrested for links to Pak-backed drug cartel
An Army man, a dismissed Punjab Police personnel and two women were among six people arrested on Sunday as the state police unearthed a well-organised heroin trafficking network.
The accused were involved in multiple drug trafficking cases, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said.
In an X post, he said, “In a major breakthrough, Faridkot Police, after a two-month-long jail-based interception, busts a well-organised heroin trafficking network, apprehends six accused, including one Army personnel and one dismissed police personnel, and recovers 4.8 kilograms of heroin, one weapon, and a Thar and an XUV.”
The DGP said an FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages.
In a later statement, he said the breakthrough was the result of a meticulously planned, intelligence-led operation and a two-month-long jail-based interception that exposed the cartel’s deep-rooted linkages.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers, who used drones to push heroin consignments into the Indian territory, Yadav said. According to a statement from the Punjab Police, those arrested have been identified as Jarnail Singh alias Goldy, a Ludhiana resident currently serving in the Indian Army; Amardeep Singh alias Boxer, a Punjab Armed Police cadre employee who was dismissed in 2021; Dimple Rani of Ferozepur; and Ramandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba and Amritpal Singh alias Abhijot, all residents of Moga.
Addressing a news conference in Faridkot, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pragya Jain said that apart from the contraband, the police seized drug money worth Rs 30,000 and impounded two vehicles — Thar and XUV-500 — which the accused were using for drug trafficking.
