27 kg heroin seized in two different operations in Punjab

PTI, Sep 9, 2023, 4:45 PM IST

Chandigarh: The Punjab Police has seized 27 kg of heroin in two separate operations and arrested a man, officials said on Saturday.

Pritam Singh, a resident of Mohar Jamsher village in Fazilka, was arrested with 15 kg of heroin, they said and added that the narcotic substance was concealed beneath heaps of wheat stray being transported by him in a tractor-trolley.

The arrest was made by the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Fazilka, which has seized 147 kg of heroin in the last 45 days, Director General of Punjab Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said.

“In an intelligence-led operation against trans-border narcotic smuggling networks, SSOC-Fazilka has recovered 15 kg of heroin after arresting one drug trafficker,” Yadav posted on X.

He said the seizure was made during the search of the tractor-trolley, which was carrying straw. An FIR has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the state police chief said.

The case has been registered at SSOC-Fazilka police station, according to officials . In another operation, the Jalandhar Rural Police seized 12 kg of heroin.

“In an ongoing intelligence-based operation against the cross-border drug trafficking network, the Jalandhar Rural Police has effected seizure of another 12 kg heroin, after initial seizure of nine kg heroin — total 21 kg heroin recovered in last three days,” the DGP said in another post on X.

He said an FIR has been registered under the NDPS Act at the Goraya police station.

Giving details about the arrest and seizure made by SSOC-Fazilka, Yadav, in a statement later said that 10 packets of heroin, weighing 15 kg, were seized.

The arrested person has been identified as Pritam Singh of Mohar Jamsher village in Fazilka, the DGP said and added that apart from seizing the heroin, police teams have also impounded his tractor-trolley, in which he was travelling.

Yadav said that following intelligence inputs, SSOC-Fazilka launched a special secret operation against trans-border narcotic smuggling networks in the Dhani Kharas Wali village area and arrested Pritam Singh.

He was on his way to deliver the heroin consignment, which was beneath wheat straw kept on trolley.

The DGP said the drug smuggler was travelling along with his wife, identified as Kushalya Bai and son-in-law, identified as Gurmeet Singh, of village Dhani Kharas Wali in Fazilka.

Kushalya Bai and Gurmeet Singh managed to escape, he said.

Not ruling out the possibility of the consignment being smuggled through a riverine route, the DGP said, “This family was among the few households of border village — Mohar Jamsher — who insisted on staying put at their flood-ravaged premises despite repeated requests by the district administration and police authorities to move to the safer places.”
Additional Inspector General, SSOC-Fazilka, Lakhbir Singh, said that police are investigating the case and more seizures are expected.
“We have also booked absconding accused Kaushlya Bai and Gurmeet Singh,” he said, adding that a search in underway to arrest them.