Punjab Police busts cross-border drug smuggling, hawala network racket; 3 arrested

Amritsar, Sep 4 (PTI) Three people allegedly involved in a cross-border organised arms, drug smuggling and hawala network have been arrested, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday.

Those arrested have been identified as Harpreet Singh (23) of Kot Mehtab village in Amritsar, Gurpal Singh (21) of Sursingh village in Tarn Taran and Ranjodh Singh (33) of Viring village in Tarn Taran, he said.

Police recovered 2.02 kg of heroin, four pistols -- including a Glock and three .30 bore pistols -- and Rs 3.5 lakh hawala money from them, besides impounding their motorcycle, the DGP said.

He said the gang was using drones to smuggle heroin and weapons from Pakistan and had an active presence in Punjab's border areas.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Harpreet and Gurpal, who had earlier gone to Malaysia, were linked with cross-border smugglers, Yadav said.

A case has been registered at the Gate Hakiman police station and further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages and expose the nexus, he added.

Amritsar Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Harpreet and Gurpal were earlier arrested with 220 grams of heroin and a motorcycle. On their disclosure, police later recovered 1.8 kg more heroin and two pistols from a pinpointed location, he said.

Probe revealed Harpreet went to Malaysia in 2023 and returned after seven months, while Gurpal went there in 2022 and returned in 2023.

They were not known to each other in Malaysia but had a common Pakistan-based smuggler contact, who directed them to receive consignments, Bhullar said.

On Gurpal's further disclosure, police arrested Ranjodh Singh and recovered two more pistols and Rs 3.5 lakh drug money, which was meant to be routed through hawala to Pakistan, he added.

A case has been registered under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act at Gate Hakiman police station, police said. PTI JMS SUN OZ OZ