International Drug Racket: Punjab police arrests 12 including 4 Afghan nationals

After the Punjab Police on Sunday busted a major drug racket arresting four Afghan nationals, Hoshiarpur police on Wednesday arrested 12 people linked to the racket. According to the Hoshiarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Navjot Singh Mahal, "Police have recovered 20 kg of heroin and Rs. 40 lakh drug money. 12 people have been arrested including four Afghanistan nationals. Our teams have arrested them from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. A main wanted Jasbir was also arrested.'' 

The first four accused were identified as Mujahed Shinwari, a native of Nangarhar in Afghanistan; Mohammad Lal Kaker, Jannat Gul Kakar and Samiullah Afghan, trio from Kunduz region of Afghanistan.

SSP Navjot Mahal said further investigation is being carried out to unearth more links to the international drug racket and raids are being conducted to nab the accused.

Meanwhile, FIR  had been registered under sections 21-61-85 of the NDPS Act Garhshankar Police Station Hoshiarpur.

International Drug Racket 

The Punjab Police on Sunday busted a major drug racket with the arrest of four Afghan nationals and heroin seizure of 17 kg, worth Rs 90 crore in the international market, from a unit in South Delhi.

With this seizure, the Punjab Police has dug up another trail, leading to Uttar Pradesh, and a team has been sent there to unravel the network, DGP Dinkar Gupta said. Apart from the huge recovery of heroin, the police have also recovered assorted chemicals and lab equipment used to manufacture the drug, from the Neb Sarai unit.

The arrests and seizure resulted from a lead uncovered by a Hoshiarpur Police team, led by SSP Navjot Singh Mahal, which was investigating into certain earlier FIRs registered under the NDPS Act, as part of the ongoing war against drugs.

Divulging details on how dots were connected, the DGP said the Hoshiarpur police, on May 18, 2021, had recovered 70-gm heroin after arresting Pushpinder Singh alias Tinku and Amit Choudhary, who revealed that they had procured the 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 by the police party with 100gm heroin.

A thorough search of the house led the police party to the recovery of 1.48 kg heroin, 500 grams gold and Rs 49.48 lakh drug money.

Image Credit- ANI