Amritsar, October 19
The Special Narcotics Cell has caught dismissed Armyman Harpal Singh of Mallanwala Khas, Ferozepur, and his brother-in-law Harjit Singh of Jhuggian Peer Baksh, Tarn Taran, and 15 kg heroin from them. The value of the heroin is estimated to be around Rs 75 crore in the international market.
P.K. Sinha, SSP, Special Narcotics Cell, said the accused were apprehended from City Centre market near the bus stand in Amritsar when they were waiting to deliver the consignment. The heroin was to be sent to Delhi and Mumbai. A case under Sections 21,25,29,61 and 85, NDPS Act, was registered in this regard.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Harpal had links with Pakistani smugglers active in the riverine area of the Indo-Pakistan border in Ferozepur sector. The recovered packets of contraband bore the stamps of Seven Star International 2007. Investigations are on, Sinha added.
According to sources, mobile phones seized from the accused had numbers of Pakistan-based smugglers with code names. These code numbers are being looked into.
Meanwhile, agencies, including the Special Narcotics Cell (SNC) and the Border Security Force (BSF), have decided to identify places and points in the riverine areas on the Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab from where contraband is pushed to this side of border and plug these points.
The border fence in the riverine belt is vulnerable due to changing course of rivers and floods which destroy the fence making easy way for smugglers to push narcotics and arms into the Indian territory.
