KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
The Punjab Police, on September 2, busted a drug cartel that was being operated from inside Faridkot jail in Punjab, by arresting seven persons and recovering 15 kilograms of heroin and INR 7 lakh in drug money from them. On September 1, the police arrested the delivery persons, identified as Gurpinder Singh alias Bhinda, Narinder Singh, Ranjodh Singh alias Jodha, and recovered 15 kilograms heroin from their possession, from near Haruwal village in Dera Baba Nanak Tehsil in Gurdaspur district. On the basis of information provided by Bhinda, the police arrested the four receivers on September 2, identified as Rajdeep Singh, Ram Singh, Jaspal Singh and Rajwinder Kaur and recovered INR 7 lakh drug money and two cars from their possession, near Town Hall in Amritsar city in Amritsar district. The mastermind, Jaspreet Singh alias Kali, currently in Faridkot Jail, was discovered to be coordinating a drug cartel with Pakistan-based smugglers via WhatsApp.
Four smugglers, Rajdeep Singh, Ram Singh, Jaspal Singh and Rajwinder Singh who were arrested on September 2 in connection with a cross-border drug smuggling operation involving drones, were sent to three-day police custody by the Duty Magistrate in Batala Gurdaspur district.
A video depicting a young girl involved in a drug-related transaction went viral on September 1, leading to the arrest of Gurjant Singh, the girl's brother, in Badshahpur village of Kapurthala district. The police recovered 10 grams of heroin from his possession, while the girl and her mother remain at large.
The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police, in a joint search operation, on September 1, recovered 2.7 kilograms of heroin from near the international border (IB) on the outskirts of Mehdipur village in Tarn Taran district. The heroin consignment was found in a white coloured sack with illuminating strips and hooks attached to it, indicative of a drone drop.
A joint team of the Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) on September 1 recovered 2.43 kilograms of heroin from the residence of an individual, identified as Bittu Singh, in Tarn Taran in Tarn Taran district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on August 30 recovered six packets heroin weighing 6.3 kilograms and one packet of opium weighing 70 grams, concealed in a 12-volt battery, near the international border (IB), near Dostpur village in Gurdaspur district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on August 30 recovered 2.6 kilograms of heroin dropped by a drone at a farming field on the outskirts of Ranian village in Amritsar district.
Police on August 30 arrested one person, identified as Jashanpreet Singh and seized 10 gm heroin from his possession in Ram Nagar in Abohar in Fazilka district.
Khanna Police on August 28 arrested two individuals, identified as Sukhwinder Singh alias Laddi and Gurpreet Singh alias Sodhi and recovered 248 kilograms of poppy husk and 500 grams of opium from their possession, near Dehru in Khanna tehsil of Ludhiana district.
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with the Punjab Police, on August 28, recovered 520 grams of heroin in a yellow packet with a hook attached to it, likely dropped by a drone, near the International Border (IB) in Amritsar sector in Amritsar district.
Police arrested siblings, identified as Karanvir Kaur and Gurpreet Singh for allegedly selling heroin to Manpreet Singh, who died of drug overdose on August 25, and recovered 5 grams of heroin and Rs 25,000 drug money from them, in Bhaloor village in Moga district. Based on the investigation, it was found that Manpreet obtained drugs from the siblings residing in the same village, who are also involved in selling heroin.
Punjab Police’s Special Task Force (STF) on August 27 arrested an alleged drug smuggler, identified as Partap Singh, and recovered 350 grams of heroin from his possession near Rayya in Amritsar district. The STF received intelligence about his smuggling activities and attempted to apprehend him at a checkpoint near Dunial village in Baba Bakala tehsil of Amritsar district. The suspect fired at the police, prompting them to return fire and injure him. According to Jagjit Singh Soroa, Assistant Inspector General (AIG), STF, Jalandhar, Singh has been hospitalised and will be quizzed after discharge.
Khanna Police on August 27 arrested two persons, identified as Yousuf Masih and Gogo Devi and recovered 150 kilograms of poppy husk from their possession near Maloud in Ludhiana district.
Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police, in a joint operation, on August 24 recovered 360 grams of heroin from the outskirts of Rajoke village in Tarn Taran district.
Punjab Police on August 23 shared a video showing a Pakistani drone airdropping a small packet of heroin in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab. According to the police, smugglers from across the border are now resorting to delivering narcotics during the daytime as well, posing a fresh challenge for the security forces. On the same day, Tarn Taran Police arrested an individual identified as Jugraj Singh in the Tarn Taran district and recovered 2 kilograms of heroin along with a drone from his possession. Singh was arrested when his bike was intercepted at a checkpoint, according to Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurmeet Chauhan.
The Anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police on August 23 arrested three members of a cross-border drug smuggling module, identified as Agyapal Singh, Ranjodh Singh alias Rana and Sandeep Singh and recovered 41 kilograms of heroin and four mobile phones from their possession, in Mehmed Mandara Wala village in Amritsar district. The heroin was found concealed under the brick floor of a cattle shed.
Police on August 23 arrested two persons, identified as Lovepreet Singh alias Sonu and Akashdeep Singh and recovered 1.290 kilograms of heroin along with INR 30 lakh drug money, one .32 bore pistol with two magazines and 8 bullets from their possession near Bhuse village in Tarn Taran district.
Punjab Police, along with the Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation on August 23, recovered a broken drone and 3.5 kilograms of heroin from the outskirts of Hazara Singh Wala village in Ferozepur district.
A joint team of Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police, on August 22 recovered 450 grams of heroin in a bottle from a farming field near Roranwala village in Amritsar district of Punjab. The BSF troops detected a buzzing sound from a suspected drone entering Indian territory on August 21 night in the same area, and a subsequent search of the area on August 22 morning led to the recovery.
In a joint operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police on August 21 arrested two Pakistani smugglers and recovered 29.26 kilograms of heroin from their possession near Gatti Matar village in Mamdot Tehsil in Ferozepur district. The smugglers were apprehended after troops challenged them and fired upon them, with one of them sustaining a hand injury.
The Punjab Police on August 19 carried out a special operation named 'OPS Seal-III' in collaboration with the police forces of neighboring states, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. This operation resulted in the arrest of 49 individuals, the issuance of fines (challans) to 329 vehicles, the impoundment of 25 vehicles, and the seizure of INR 45 lakh in cash, 30 kilograms of poppy husk, 374 grams of heroin, 500 grams of charas, and 263 liters of illicit liquor. The operation involved 1,500 personnel and covered 10 inter-state border districts of Punjab- Pathankot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Fazilka, Ropar, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (SAS) Nagar, Patiala, Sangrur, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda.
Jalandhar Rural Police on August 17 arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Joga Singh and seized 8 kilograms of heroin from his possession in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district. Singh is believed to have retrieved the heroin consignment from Pakistan through trans-border networks, according to Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.
The Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police in a joint operation on August 16 recovered a bottle filled with 200 gm of heroin on the outskirts of Naushera Dhalla village in Tarn Taran district.
Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police, during a joint search operation on August 16, recovered 2.8 kilograms of heroin on the outskirts of Machiwara village in Ferozepur district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on August 14 recovered a packet containing 1.1 kilograms of heroin from an abandoned tractor in Tarn Taran sector in Tarn Taran district.