KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Police on May 12 busted a drug racket and arrested 13 unidentified individuals, recovering drug money worth INR 84 lakh, luxury vehicles, and a truck in Jalandhar district. These arrests are connected to a case involving 48 kg of heroin. The arrested individuals were involved in various roles within the drug network, including suppliers, purchasers, and hawala operators.
Punjab Police on May 11 busted an interstate network involved in manufacturing and supplying illegal psychotropic substances, and arrested seven individuals, including the mastermind identified as Alex Paliwal, and seized intoxicant tablets/capsules worth INR 70.42 lakh and 725.5 kg of intoxicant tramadol powder, along with INR 2.37 lakh in cash, in an operation spanned five states - Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (HP), Uttar Pradesh (UP), and Maharashtra. The investigation, initiated by the Special Task Force (STF) following the arrest of two drug smugglers in February, eventually led to the apprehension of the gang's kingpin in UP. Further scrutiny traced the illicit supply chain to pharmaceutical companies in HP and Maharashtra, exposing the intricate web of interstate drug trafficking.
Amritsar (Rural) police on May 11 arrested two drug peddlers, Akashbir Singh and Banty, and seized 510 grams of heroin from their possession, along with a bike and a mobile phone in Amritsar district. The duo was produced before a duty magistrate and remanded to two-day police custody for further interrogation. The police are investigating their connections to drug consignment recipients and Pakistani-based smuggler Qasim Dhillon, who smuggled contraband into Indian territory using drones.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on May 11 recovered one packet of heroin weighing 2.175 Kg from fields near Sankatara village in Tarn Taran district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on May 11 recovered one packet of heroin weighing 569 Kg from fields near TJ Singh village in Tarn Taran district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops intercepted a drone on the night of May 11-12 and recovered a packet containing 498 grams of heroin along with the drone from fields near Havelian village in Amritsar district.
Border Security Forces (BSF), along with Punjab Police on May 8 recovered a packet containing 210 grams of heroin and a China-made drone from fields near TJ Singh village in Tarn Taran district.
Border Security Force (BSF) troops intercepted a drone on the intervening night of May 8-9 and recovered 550 grams of heroin from Raitewali Bhaini village in Fazilka district.
The Border Security Forces (BSF), along with Punjab Police, on May 6, in a joint operation, recovered one packet of heroin weighing 550 grams from farming fields near Roranwala Kalan village in Amritsar district.
Police on May 6 busted a gang involved in printing counterfeit currency and smuggling drugs and arrested three members, identified as Rishu Kumar, Lakhwinder Kumar Lucky, and Gurdeep Singh and seized 20 kg of opium, fake Indian currency notes of INR 500 denomination worth INR 84.20 lakh, along with equipment used in printing currency, in Malerkotla in Malerkotla district.
Police on May 5 arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Karanbir Singh and Balwinder Singh, and seized 3 kg of heroin and 1 kg of ICE (crystal methamphetamine) from their possession in Punga village in Amritsar district. During interrogation, it was revealed that Karanbir had previously received two drug consignments from Pakistan through direct contact with the trans-border narcotic smuggler Dogar Rajput.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on May 5 arrested three people identified as Nazeer Mohd, MD Rafi and Rahul Uppal, and seized over 24 kg of charas along with INR 61000 drug money from their possession, near Ladpalwan Toll plaza in near Ladpalwan village in Pathankot district. Nazeer Mohd and MD Rafi were arrested with the charas, and based on information provided by them, the Police later arrested Rahul Uppal, the receiver of the consignment, along with INR 61,000 drug money. Further investigations are underway as part of a special drive to dismantle drug networks in the region.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on May 5 recovered three packets of heroin weighing 2.580 kg along with a broken drone near Chak Bazida village in Fazilka district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on May 5 recovered a packet containing 550 grams of heroin from near Roranwala Kalan village in Amritsar district.
The Border Security Forces (BSF) troops on May 4 recovered 416 grams of heroin and a broken drone from fields on the outskirts of Kalash village in Tarn Taran district. The recovered drone was a China-made DJI Mavic 3 classic.
The Gharinda police on May 4 recovered 400 grams of heroin from fields, after receiving a tip-off from a local resident, Dilbagh Singh near Daoke village in Amritsar district. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against unidentified individuals, with ongoing investigations aimed at identifying the smugglers responsible for bringing the contraband from Pakistan.
Police on May 3 arrested two individuals, identified as Mandeep Singh Billa, and seized 1.5 kg of opium and 29 kg of poppy husk from their possession in a truck (PB 04 AE 8805) on the outskirts of Dugri village along the Malerkotla-Khanna Road in Sangrur district.
The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of the police on May 3 arrested Avtar Singh and seized 4 kg of ICE (Crystal methamphetamine) and 1 kg of heroin from his possession, near Bhindi Saidan village in Amritsar district. Avtar allegedly had connection with Pakistani smugglers, who reportedly used drones for delivery, underscores the cross-border nature of the drug trade. This marks the fourth significant ICE seizure in the border region in the past four months. Pakistani smugglers, facing a decline in opium production due to Taliban policies, appear to be substituting heroin with ICE, as indicated by recent seizures.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 3 recovered a packet containing 450 grams of heroin along with a drone from the outskirts of Roranwala Khurd village in Amritsar district. The recovered drone was a DJI Mavic 3 Classic quadcopter.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 3 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 460 grams and a small torch tied to it from a field adjacent to Hardo Ratan village in Amritsar district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 3 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 406 grams from fields near Sankatara village in Tarn Taran district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police, in a joint operation on May 2 recovered five small packets of heroin weighing 5.275 kg and a box containing 37 live cartridges in a bag, near Mode village in Amritsar district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 1 recovered a packet containing about 570 grams of heroin, attached to a small drone, near Dhanoe khurd village in Amritsar district.
The Range Anti-Narcotics and Special Operation Cell of the Punjab Police on May 1 arrested a woman identified as Salhanta Devi and confiscated 15 kg of marijuana and INR 20,000 from her possession in Sohana village, located in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 1 conducted a joint operation with the Punjab Police, resulting in the arrest of a drug smuggler identified as Jagroop Singh and the seizure of 500 grams of heroin from his possession near Jathaul village in Amritsar district. The heroin had been smuggled via drone from Pakistan. Singh confessed to being in contact with a Pakistan-based smuggler known as "Shah" and admitted to facilitating around 10 drug consignments in the past.