AMRITSAR, July 24 — In a series of coordinated operations with the Border Security Force (BSF), Amritsar Rural Police arrested 10 men and seized 4 kilograms of heroin and 12 illegal firearms, uncovering a deep nexus of trans-border narcotics and arms smuggling, officials said Wednesday.
The biggest breakthrough came when a special cell of the rural police nabbed Sahibdeep Singh of Hardo Rattan village and Sukhbir Singh of Mulla Behram village in an area under Gharinda police station. According to Superintendent of Police Aditya Warrior, the duo was caught with 4kg of heroin allegedly dropped via drone from Pakistan.
“They are linked to a Pakistani smuggler named Kali, who is believed to have coordinated the drone drop,” said SP Warrior. “The heroin was meant for local distribution through a well-oiled network.”
In a separate operation, police dismantled an international weapon smuggling module operated from Pakistan and France. Four suspects — Swaraj Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Gulab Singh, and Gaurav, all residents of Tarn Taran — were taken into custody.
“Four pistols and 10 live cartridges were recovered from them. Their kingpin, Gopi, is currently operating from France,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh.
In yet another case, four men — Lakhwinder Singh and Harpreet Singh from Dande village, Akashdeep Singh of Chabhal Khurd, and Gurpreet Singh of Kasel — were intercepted en route to Amritsar. Authorities recovered eight pistols from their vehicle.
“These seizures indicate a sustained cross-border operation with handlers based abroad and active local conduits,” SSP Singh added. “Our teams are pursuing leads and more arrests are likely.”
Police said investigations are ongoing to track the supply chains and foreign links involved in the smuggling network.
