Chandigarh: Punjab Police on Sunday busted a cross-border drug and arms smuggling racket being operated by USA-based smuggler Manpreet alias Mannu Mahawa with the arrest of its two key persons from Amritsar. 

The accused has been identified as Sandeep Singh alias Laddi a resident of Guru Ki Wadali in Amritsar and Roshan a resident of Heir in Amritsar. The duo was operating on the direction of Mannu who was receiving the drugs and weapons consignments.

Meanwhile, police have recovered 19kg Heroin, Rs 23 lakh, seven pistols — including one sophisticated 9mm Glock, three .30 bore pistols and three .32 bore pistols — along with Pakistan-stamped ammunition, currency counting machine and drone equipment including a remote controller and spare fans from their possession, besides, impounding their Hyundai Verna car (PB06BB4064), in which they were going to allegedly supply the Heroin consignment.

Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said, “Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused people were directly in touch with USA-based smuggler Mannu Mahawa and were supplying Heroin across the state after smuggling it from Pakistan. Apart from investigating backward and forward linkages, Amritsar Commisionerate Police teams are also working on the financial investigation on the Hawala links and property details for getting them frozen”.

Police teams have received reliable inputs that associates of smugglers Mannu Mahawa have retrieved the Heroin consignment sent by Pak-based smugglers from across the border and were on the way to deliver it to someone.

CP Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, “Acting promptly, police teams from CIA Staff-3 under the supervision of DCP Harpreet Mandher, ADCP City-3 Abhimanyu Rana and ACP Central Surinder Kumar conducted a special police check in the area of Islamabad and arrested both the accused when they were waiting for someone to deliver the consignment."

CP Bhullar said that further efforts are being made to ascertain the total quantity of narcotics and weapons procured by the arrested accused so far.