Chandigarh, April 30
Punjab Police on Thursday dismantled a cross-border drug and arms smuggling network in Amritsar with the arrest of two accused and recovery of over 4 kg heroin along with firearms, officials said.
According to police, the arrested accused have been identified as Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh, a resident of Tarn Taran, and Tarsem Singh alias Kairon alias Pehlwan. Acting on inputs, police first apprehended Arshdeep and recovered around 2.6 kg of heroin from his possession.
During further investigation and questioning, police arrested Tarsem Singh and recovered an additional 1.5 kg of heroin along with four pistols and live cartridges.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers through social media platforms. The contraband and weapons were delivered using drones and later collected by the accused for further distribution.
Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said the probe revealed that Tarsem Singh is a known criminal with multiple cases against him and is linked to gangster Gurpreet Singh alias Krishan Jandiala, who is currently based abroad.
Police said Tarsem was allegedly lured into the network with promises of arranging a fake passport and facilitating his travel overseas.
A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Arms Act at the Cantonment police station in Amritsar.
Officials said further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network and establish both forward and backward linkages in the cross-border smuggling operation.
