The North News
Chandigarh, April 16
In a significant operation under Punjab’s ongoing anti-drug campaign Yudh Nashian Virudh, the state’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has arrested a key drug trafficker allegedly linked to a Pakistan-based smuggling network. The arrest led to the recovery of 3.1kg of heroin, two country-made .32 bore pistols, 37 cartridges and two magazines, police officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Jobanjit Singh alias Joban, is a resident of Kotli Sur Singh village in Tarn Taran district and is known to police for his criminal background. Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations suggest Joban had been receiving drug consignments from Pakistan-based smugglers via drones for several months.
“This is a critical breakthrough in dismantling cross-border narco-terror networks. We are pursuing backward and forward linkages to expose the entire chain. More arrests are expected,” said Yadav. The operation, based on intelligence inputs, was carried out by ANTF’s Border Range team in Amritsar. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Nilabh Kishore said the accused had recently retrieved a consignment of drugs and weapons believed to have been air-dropped via drone.
The operation was led by Superintendent of Police Gurpreet Singh, who said Joban was apprehended from his residence after careful surveillance and tip-offs.
An FIR has been registered under sections 21-C, 23, and 25 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and section 25 of the Arms Act at ANTF Police Station in SAS Nagar (Mohali). The arrest comes amid heightened efforts by Punjab Police to curb the growing menace of drug trafficking in the state, particularly via the use of drones and cross-border handlers.
