CROSS-BORDER SMUGGLING CARTEL BUSTED IN AMRITSAR; THREE HELD WITH 4.5KG HEROIN, ONE PISTOL

CROSS-BORDER SMUGGLING CARTEL BUSTED IN AMRITSAR; THREE HELD WITH 4.5KG HEROIN, ONE PISTOL

ARRESTED ACCUSED WERE IN CONTACT WITH FOREIGN-BASED HANDLER THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: DGP GAURAV YADAV

ARRESTED PERSONS WERE RECEIVING DRUG CONSIGNMENTS VIA DRONE DROPS: CP ASR GURPREET BHULLAR

CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, December 18:

Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted a cross-border narco smuggling cartel with the arrest of three drug smugglers involved in heroin and illegal arms trafficking, and recovered 4.5 kg heroin and one .30 bore pistol from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday.

Those arrested have been identified as Gurwinder Singh alias Gopi (23), a resident of village Shahwala in Ferozepur; Tilak alias Shibu (18), a native of Rajiv Gandhi Vihar, Jalandhar and currently residing at Mustafabad in Amritsar; and Daljit Singh alias Lala (20), a native of village Naushera Dhalla and currently residing at village Mustafabad in Amritsar.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused were in contact with a foreign-based handler through social media platforms and, on his directions, they were transporting and supplying consignments of heroin and illegal arms across different locations. Further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages in this case, he said.

Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that accused Gurwinder Singh alias Gopi was apprehended with a 1.5 kg Heroin and one .30 bore Pistol and during interrogation, the accused disclosed the involvement of two more associates, leading to further recoveries. On the basis of his disclosure, police nominated and arrested the remaining accused Tilak alias Shibu and Daljit Singh alias Lala, and recovered additional chunk of 3 kg Heroin from their possession, he said.

The CP said that investigation has revealed that accused Gurwinder Singh alias Gopi, due to his residence located near Border area in Ferozepur, was actively involved in receiving drug consignments as well as other illegal consignments through drone drops in the Ferozepur region. It has also emerged that accused Gurwinder Singh alias Gopi used to coordinate directly with a foreign-based smuggler to procure consignments, he added.

In this regard, a case FIR no. 345 dated 12-12-2025 has been registered under sections 21-C and 29 of the NDPS Act and sections 25(6, 7, 8) of the Arms Act at Police Station Gate Hakima in Amritsar.