In a first, Afghan national held, narcotics unit busted in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Amritsar, Jan 31

In a major breakthrough, the Punjab Police have, for the first time, arrested an Afghan national involved in refining heroin during a raid on an illegal manufacturing unit in Sultanwind, Amritsar.

The Special Task Force (STF) against drugs busted the unit and confiscated 194 kg of heroin, 38 kg of a synthetic drug and 207 kg of chemical in a late-night swoop in Akash Vihar locality at Sultanwind village, Amritsar, said ADGP Harpreet Singh Sidhu, who heads the STF. The police also arrested five others, including a woman, from the scene. Two of their accomplices were arrested on Wednesday.

The police seized a gas burner, commercial cylinders, utensils and a mixer grinder from the spot.

It is after nearly seven years that a drugs manufacturing unit has been busted. Earlier, an illegal factory run allegedly by Ravi Kandola gang was busted.

The Afghan suspect, Arman Basharmal, is a key member of the drug cartel active in Afghanistan, Italy and India (Gujarat and Punjab). Basharmal used to refine and mix heroin to increase its quantity, the ADGP said.

DGP Dinkar Gupta said police were probing the role of an Akali leader, Anwar Masih, a former municipal councillor and member of the Subordinate Services Selection Board, in whose house the arrested suspects were living as tenants.

Capt Amarinder Singh termed the recovery a big success. The CM said initial investigations suggested the network was linked to Simranjit Singh Sandhu, a mafia don, detained recently by the Interpol in Italy. The government would seek remand of Sandhu, who holds an Australian passport.

The seizure appeared to be part of the 300-kg consignment of drugs that arrived at Mandavi in Gujarat last year, 200 kg of which was smuggled into Punjab. Efforts were on to trace the other big fish involved in the case.

Sidhu said acting on a tip off, Sukhwinder Singh, alias Happy, of Ajnala road was arrested with 6 kg of heroin on Tuesday. His interrogation led to the arrest of cloth trader Ankush Kapoor, the kingpin of the racket, the same day. On follow-up investigation, a team raided Sultanwind village on Thursday night.

Meanwhile, Masih claimed he had nothing to do with the racket and that he would cooperate in the probe.

Dip in number of drug abuse deaths: Capt

• The number of deaths due to drug abuse fell from 114 in 2018 to 47 in 2019, CM said
• 35,500 cases registered under NDPS Act between March 2017 & January 2020
• The Canadian authorities were acting against smugglers after a list of drug dealers was given to PM Justin Trudeau, he said