17 kg heroin worth Rs 90 crore recovered, 4 Afghan nationals held

Chandigarh, July 5 (PTI) The Punjab police has busted a major drug racket with the arrest of four Afghan nationals in Delhi and seizure of 17 kg heroin that has a value of Rs 90 crore in the international market.

Police have also recovered assorted chemicals and lab equipment, used to manufacture the drug, from the Neb Sarai unit, they said.

With this, the police have dug up another trail, leading to Uttar Pradesh where a team has been sent to unravel the network, Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said on Monday.

The accused have been identified as Mujahed Shinwari, a native of Nangarhar in Afghanistan and Mohammad Lal Kaker, Jannat Gul Kakar and Samiullah Afghan – from Kunduz.

The arrests and seizure resulted from a lead uncovered by a police team in Hoshiarpur, led by SSP Navjot Singh Mahal, which was investigating into earlier FIRs registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

On May 18, the team recovered 0.07 kg heroin after arresting Pushpinder Singh alias Tinku and Amit Choudhary, who disclosed that they had procured drug from Jasvir Singh Gajju of Jandiala in Amritsar and Sarabjeet Singh Sethi of Hoshiarpur.

Raids were conducted at Jasvir Singh's residence, where his accomplice Jagrup Kaur was apprehended with 0.1 kg heroin. A thorough search of the house led to the recovery of 1.48 kg heroin, 0.5 kg gold and cash worth Rs 49.48 lakh.

The police later arrested Sarabjeet Sethi from Garhshankar on July 1 and 0.5 kg heroin was recovered from his possession.

He had procured heroin from Afghan nationals in Delhi and one Imteyaz, who operates from Uttar Pradesh, the DGP said in a statement.

Acting on leads, a police team from Hoshiarpur raided the suspected location in Delhi and busted this unit, from where a large quantity of heroin was being supplied to Punjab and other states. Another team has been sent to UP to bust Imteyaz's module, said Gupta. PTI CHS VSD MGA MGA