KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Amritsar Central Jail authorities on March 9 arrested Jail Warder Jagdeep Singh and seized 260 grams of narcotic powder, 560 sedative pills, 100 grams of narcotic substances, INR 63,650 drug money, and 217 “bidis” from his room, in Amritsar in Amritsar district. Acting on a tip-off about drug smuggling, the raid also led to the seizure of 404 sedative pills from inmate Ishant Kumar, allegedly supplied by Jagdeep. Police are conducting a forensic analysis of Jagdeep’s mobile phone to trace financial links and accomplices, with more arrests expected.
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF), on March 7 arrested two smugglers, Joginder Singh and Judge Singh, and seized 2.64 kg of heroin and a DJI Matrice 300 RTK drone from their possession in Khunder Hithar village, Ferozepur district.
Punjab Police on March 7 raided 687 locations, arrested 111 individuals involved in drug trafficking and liquor smuggling, and seized 1.2 kg of heroin, 9.8 kg of opium, 3.3 kg of ganja, 46 kg of poppy husk, 7,091 intoxicant tablets and injections, and INR 1.32 lakh in cash across Punjab. A 1,000-strong police force conducted vehicle checks at 84 points in 10 border districts, including Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Rupnagar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur, and Bathinda.
The Amritsar Rural Police on March 7 arrested three persons, including a granthi and his wife—Joga Singh (granthi), Sharanjit Kaur, and his brother Punjab Singh—and seized 2.5 kg of heroin and INR 40,500 in drug money from their possession in Gagarmal village, Ajnala, Amritsar district.
The Amritsar rural police on March 7 arrested four persons, identified as Dilbagh Singh alias Judge, Arshdeep Singh and Samual Masih, and seized 5 kg of heroin from their possession, in Dhusi Bandh in Ajnala in Amritsar district.
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Punjab police, on March 7 arrested two drug peddlers identified as Harjinder Singh alias Bhind and Vijay and seized 475 grams of heroin along with three mobile phones and a motorcycle without a number plate from their possession in Rajatal village in Amritsar district. The accused were trying to retrieve an heroin consignment smuggled from Pakistan via drone when they were intercepted by a BSF ambush party.
Punjab Police on March 6 conducted raids at 501 locations leading to the arrest of 75 drug smugglers after registration of 53 First Information Reports (FIRs), and recovered 8.2 kg of heroin, 4.5 kg of opium, 1294 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections and INR 1.04 lakh drug money from their possession, across the state.
Punjab New and Renewable Energy Minister and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) state president Aman Arora announced on March 5 that under the "Yudh Nashian Virudh" (war against drugs) campaign, Punjab Police registered 580 First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrested 789 drug peddlers under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between March 1 and 4. Authorities also seized 74 kg of heroin, 19.5 kg of opium, and 77 kg of synthetic drugs, totaling approximately 170 kg of narcotics across Punjab.
The Amritsar Rural Police on March 5 busted a smuggling network operated by a United States (US)-based smuggler, Jasmit Singh alias Lucky, and arrested one smuggler, identified as Sahilpreet Singh alias Karan, seizing 23 packets of heroin, each weighing 1 kg (totalling 23 kg), in Daspura village, Amritsar district. Preliminary investigations indicated that the consignment was smuggled from Pakistan, and efforts are underway to apprehend other individuals linked to the network.
Punjab Police on March 4 conducted extensive checks to combat the drug menace, and inspected 164 pharmaceutical shops and 524 locations across Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Jalandhar Rural, Jalandhar Commissionerate, Kapurthala and Rupnagar to prevent the sale of intoxicating drugs, and arrested 69 drug smugglers and registered 53 First Information Reports (FIRs). A total of 250 police teams, comprising over 1,900 officers under the supervision of 101 gazetted officers, also checked 627 suspicious individuals.
Amritsar police commissionerate on March 4 arrested a father-son duo, identified as Amolak Singh and Mahabir Singh alias Goldy, and seized 3 kg of heroin and INR 5 lakh of drug money along with a .30 bore calibre pistol, two magazines with 15 live cartridges, a .306 single barrel Springfield rifle with five bullets, a fake arms licence along with a Toyota Corolla car from their possession, in Amritsar in Amritsar district. The duo were arrested in a drug case registered with the Gate Hakima police station in Amritsar on January 20.
Amritsar police commissionerate on March 4 arrested six unidentified smugglers and seized 1.65 kg of heroin, INR 82,300 of drug money, and intoxicants from their possession, in Amritsar in Amritsar district.
Punjab Police on March 3 arrested 70 drug smugglers, including two after an exchange of fire, registered 48 First Information Reports (FIRs) and seized 4.63 kg of heroin, 500 grams of ganja, 100 grams of opium, 1548 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections and INR 1.32 lakh drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers across Punjab, as part of Punjab's anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh”.
On March 2, Punjab Police conducted a massive anti-drug drive, raiding 510 locations and arresting 43 smugglers as part of efforts to curb drug trafficking. The operation led to the seizure of 776 grams of heroin, 14 kg of opium, 38 kg of poppy husk, 2,615 intoxicant tablets, and INR 4.60 lakh in cash across Punjab. A total of 333 individuals were arrested, and 27 first information reports (FIRs) were registered. Over 300 police teams, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, carried out the crackdown.
Amritsar Rural police on March 1 arrested two smugglers, identified as Jagtar Singh and Angrez Singh and seized 1 kg of ICE (methamphetamine) and INR 1.4 lakh drug money from their possession, near Attari village in Amritsar district.
Punjab Police on March 1 conducted a large-scale Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) at identified drug hotspots, resulting in the arrest of 290 drug smugglers and the registration of 232 First Information Reports (FIRs). The operation led to the seizure of 8.14 kg of heroin, 1.21 kg of opium, 3.5 kg of cannabis, 19 kg of poppy husk, 700 gm of charas, 16,238 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, and INR 8.02 lakh in drug money. Over 900 police teams, comprising 8,368 personnel, carried out 798 raids across Punjab.
The Amritsar Police on March 1 arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Karanpal Singh and Ranjit Singh, who were part of a trans-border smuggling racket, and seized 4 kg of heroin and a motorcycle from their possession near Jhabal Road in Amritsar district.
The Ferozepur Police on March 1 arrested three drug smugglers, identified as Balkar Singh, Gurmeet Singh, and Lakhwinder Singh, and seized 2 kg of heroin and a motorcycle from their possession in Nehar Guddar Dhundi village in Ferozepur district.
The counter-intelligence wing of Ferozepur Police on March 1 arrested a gangster, identified as Hardeep Singh alias Deepa and seized sophisticated weapons, including a Glock pistol, a Beretta .30mm pistol, a pump-action gun, 141 assorted cartridges of 9mm and .30 calibre, along with 45 grams of heroin and a Swift car, in Faridkot, Faridkot district. Preliminary investigations revealed that the weapons were sourced from Pakistan for use in terror and criminal activities.
Jodhan police on February 27 launched a crackdown against drug peddlers, arresting a smuggler identified as Tanvir Singh and seizing 11 grams of heroin and two mobile phones in Narangwal Kalan village in Ludhiana district. Acting on directives from Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the police also booked Balwant Singh and Kulvir Kaur for their alleged involvement in the drug trade, partially demolishing their premises. The crackdown followed threats received by whistleblower sarpanch Manjinder Singh, who leads the village’s anti-drug committee.
Phillaur Police on February 25 arrested three female drug peddlers, identified as Anita Rani, wife of Mangat Ram; Rani, wife of Minda; and Preeti, wife of Harjinder, and seized 160 narcotic pills from their possession in Ganna Village, Phillaur, Jalandhar district. The arrests followed police intelligence on drug trafficking. All three accused are habitual offenders with multiple prior cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Police on February 23 busted a heroin smuggling network operating along the international border (IB) and arrested Navdeep Singh alias Lovely, seizing 511 grams of heroin from his possession in Peer Ismail Khan village, Ferozepur district. His arrest followed the interrogation of Baljit Singh in Ludhiana, which linked him to a smuggling operation involving heroin drops by Pakistani drones. The Sriganganagar police had been investigating the case since June 15, 2024, after recovering 6 kg of heroin from fields near the IB. Navdeep has been remanded in police custody until February 27.
Amritsar Police on February 22 recovered 2 kg of heroin concealed near a canal in Boparai Baj Singh village in Ajnala, Amritsar district, based on a disclosure statement by accused Harmandeep Singh, who was arrested on February 19. This seizure follows the earlier recovery of 13 kg of heroin, bringing the total to 15 kg. Police stated that investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend other associates involved in the drug network.
Police on February 21 busted a trans-border drug cartel, arresting four traffickers identified as Gurjant, Jagjit Singh, Sahil Kumar, and Rinku, and seizing 5.06 kg of heroin from their possession in Amritsar district. Jagjit Singh, who had recently returned from Italy, was already wanted in a January 14 heroin seizure case. Police stated that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers using drones to transport the contraband.
The police on February 19 arrested a smuggler, identified as Lovepreet Singh, and seized 3 kg of heroin from his possession near the bus stand in Khasa village, Amritsar district. The arrest followed the interrogation of Harmandeep Singh, from whom 10 kg of heroin had been recovered earlier.