The North News
Chandigarh, January 6
A major heroin seizure near the India–Pakistan border has exposed links to handlers based in Pakistan, as part of an intensified crackdown on cross-border drug smuggling. The state’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Border Range, working with the Border Security Force, recovered 19.980kg of heroin and arrested four people, including what police described as a key supply-chain operative.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday said that the preliminary investigations suggested the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based handlers and were coordinating the delivery and distribution of consignments across the region. He said further inquiries were under way to identify cross-border handlers, trace supply routes and dismantle the wider network. Those arrested include two men from Old Naraingarh in Amritsar, another resident of Chheharta, and a 17-year-old juvenile, police said. Officers also seized a Maruti Brezza car and two motorcycles allegedly used in the operation.
According to police, the arrests followed intelligence inputs indicating that the group had moved towards the border area to retrieve a heroin consignment smuggled through drone. A joint ANTF–BSF team set up a checkpoint and intercepted the suspects.
Based on disclosures during questioning, a follow-up search was conducted near village Bhindi Aulakh, close to the border outpost at Ghogga, where five packets containing nearly 20kg of heroin were recovered from agricultural fields. A case has been registered under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Police said the operation forms part of the state government’s drive to make Punjab drug-free, launched under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
