Faridkot, Feb 22: The Punjab Police have successfully neutralized a sophisticated international drug smuggling syndicate with the arrest of six individuals, including two women. During the operation, authorities recovered 4.804 kg of high-grade heroin, a .30 bore pistol, and two luxury vehicles used for transporting contraband across state lines.
Faridkot SSP Dr. Pragya Jain stated that the breakthrough followed a targeted raid by a CIA Staff team during the night of February 20-21. Officers intercepted a suspicious Mahindra Thar near Green Avenue, leading to the initial recovery of over one kilogram of heroin and drug proceeds. Four suspects from Moga and Ludhiana were taken into custody at the scene, including a woman identified as Ramandeep Kaur.
The investigation took a significant turn when the apprehended suspects revealed their supply source. Acting on this intelligence, police tracked and intercepted an XUV-500 belonging to the alleged mastermind, Amardeep Singh, also known as Boxer. A subsequent search of his vehicle yielded an additional 3.796 kg of heroin and a firearm. “The accused were in direct contact with handlers based in Pakistan who utilized drones to drop these consignments into Indian territory,” Dr. Jain affirmed.
The profile of the arrested individuals has raised serious concerns regarding the reach of narco-terrorism. Amardeep Singh is a dismissed employee of the Punjab Armed Police with a long history of criminal offenses, while another associate, Jarnail Singh, is a serving member of the Indian Army. The SSP declared that the group attempted to use “clean” backgrounds to evade security checkpoints. Authorities maintained that the investigation is now focused on a jail-based network coordinating these activities, with all suspects currently under police remand.
