Abohar, March 31: Authorities in Sriganganagar have dismantled a drug smuggling cell, arresting five individuals allegedly involved in retrieving heroin dropped by Pakistani drones. The investigation revealed that the group’s leader maintained direct communication with a Pakistani smuggler known as Khan Baba, or “Lambardar,” to coordinate the delivery of narcotics into Indian territory.
Following the seizure of over 10 kilograms of heroin packed into 20 distinct parcels, police stated that the suspects admitted to a previous successful operation. During interrogation, the accused affirmed that they had retrieved and delivered 12 kilograms of heroin in the same border area last month, which was subsequently transported into Punjab.
Sriganganagar SP Hari Shankar Yadav confirmed that the earlier February incident came to light only after the recent arrests. Law enforcement officials also seized a motorcycle used by one of the suspects, Gurvinder Singh, to transport the previous shipment.
“The accused were paid between 10,000 and 50,000 rupees per kilogram of heroin,” Yadav stated.
The mastermind, identified as Harmesh Singh, allegedly recruited local residents to recover the contraband, which was often concealed in sand dunes. Police affirmed that Singh has a criminal history and has previously served time for drug-related offenses.
While the immediate recovery team—including Ranjit Singh, Sonu Singh, Kirtan Singh, and Gurpreet Singh—is in custody, officials declared that the primary kingpins based in Punjab remain at large. Search operations are ongoing to track the broader network responsible for distributing the drone-delivered narcotics.
