M A I N   N E W S

Five held with RDX, heroin in Amritsar
The illegal consignment was smuggled from Pak
PK Jaiswar
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 10
With the arrest of five persons and the recovery of “smuggled” RDX, heroin, detonators and timer devices from their possession, the Punjab police here today claimed to have busted a plan to revive militancy in the state.

According to information, the special operation cell of the police’s intelligence wing made the seizure on the Attari bypass, near Ghanupur Kale area, following a tip-off. The explosives and the contraband — 6 kg of RDX, 20 detonators, 10 timer devices and 60 metres of fuse wire, besides two kilogram of heroin — were smuggled from Pakistan a few days ago, it has been learnt.

Those arrested included Sher Singh alias Shera, Malkiat Singh and Paramjit Singh of Thakar Kaura, Nirmal Singh alias Nimma and Balwinder Singh of Havelian, all areas in Tarn Taran.

According to preliminary investigation, Nirmal Singh and Balwinder Singh allegedly smuggled the consignment from Pakistan via the Indo-Pak border — the specific location yet to be ascertained by the investigators.

Subsequently, the “smugglers” brought the illegal material to a designated place on the Attari bypass, from where Sher Singh and the other accused were to collect it. The latter group was waiting in a car (DL-3C-AB-2216) when the cops swooped on them.

“We are going to take up the issue with the Border Security Force as to how they (“smugglers”) succeeded in bringing in the consignment without getting noticed by the jawans,” said Manminder Singh, SSP of the special cell.

Shera was to “deliver” the consignment to its final destination, as per instructions of another notorious smuggler of Havelian, Paramjit Singh, who is serving a sentence in Jalandhar jail and is trying to revive smuggling by using his old contacts with Pakistan-based smugglers, the SSP said.

Manminder said the newly emerged smuggler-militant nexus for reviving terrorism in the state was also being looked into and the final recipient of the consignment was being tracked.

After being produced in a court, they were sent to five-day police remand. The arrest was under Sections 21, 25 and 29 of NDPS Act, 3, 4 and 5 of Explosive Substances Act, 17, 18, 19 and 20 Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and 120-B of the IPC.