Drug cartel busted, 10.4-kg heroin seized

Officials of the Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of Punjab Police have busted yet another trans-border arms and contraband smuggling cartel and seized 10.4 kg of heroin from Sukhewala village here. However, two drug peddlers, one of whom was identified as Sukhraj Singh, managed to flee the spot.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said Sukhraj was the main supplier of the drug consignment. He was the owner of Maruti Suzuki Baleno car (PB46AG1224), which contained the contraband. He along with his unknown accomplice fled the scene in a Mahindra Scorpio bearing no registration number.

“Following an intel-input about an exchange of the heroin consignment between the occupants of these two cars, police teams from CI Amritsar led by DSP, Counter Intelligence, Navtej Singh intercepted the two vehicles stationed on the roadside near the Indian Oil petrol pump near Sukhewala village. The occupants of both the vehicles were standing near the Scorpio car when the police team reached there,” said the DGP.

On seeing the police party, they managed to escape from the spot in the Scorpio car, leaving behind the Baleno car there. On checking, the police teams seized the heroin consignment, Rs 1,000 cash, photocopies of Aadhaar card and Voter ID card of Sukhraj Singh from the car, he said.

Preliminary investigation suggested that accused Sukhraj Singh was to deliver the heroin consignment to the Scorpio car occupant. Extensive raids were conducted to nab the absconders. Further investigation was on to establish backward and forward linkages of the absconders.

A case under the NDPS Act was registered with the State Special Operation Cell in this connection.