Punjab: 3 held with 41kg of heroin smuggled from Pakistan via Ravi river

Police find accused had been in touch with Pakistani smugglers; more consignments had been smuggled in through river route when water level increased recently

Acting on a tip-off, the anti-drug special task force (STF) of Punjab Police busted a cross-border drug smuggling module with the arrest of three of its members at Mehimad Mandra village in Amritsar district on Wednesday. The police recovered 41kg of heroin smuggled by them from Pakistan via the Ravi river.

The three accused (faces covered) with the heroin consignment recovered by the anti-drug special task force (STF) personnel of Punjab Police in Amritsar district on Wednesday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

The accused were identified as Agyapal Singh, 27, of Ghumrai village, Ranjodh Singh, alias Rana, 26, of Mehimad Mandra, and Sandeep Singh of Panjgrain village in Amritsar district.

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Addressing a press conference in Amritsar, assistant inspector general (AIG), STF, Mukhtiar Rai said, “Our team led by deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Vawinder Mahajan had launched a special operation to break the nexus of smugglers operating with the help of Pakistani nationals for the supply of heroin from across the border. During the operation, a tip-off was received that Agyapal, who is the kingpin of the drug smuggling module, along with his two accomplices had got a consignment of heroin from Pakistan, which had been kept in Mehimad Mandra village. Our team conducted a raid and 41kg of heroin was recovered from Ranjodh’s house. The three were arrested after the recovery of the heroin.”

He said preliminary investigation showed Agyapal had been in touch with Pakistani drug smugglers. “The heroin recovered was smuggled via the Ravi river when the level of water increased recently. We are investigating the riverine route. The accused have confessed that five to six such consignments had already been smuggled from Pakistan. We are working to ascertain forward linkages of the accused,” AIG Rai said.

A case was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at the STF’s Mohali police station.