Six people, including a serving Army personnel, a dismissed Punjab Police official and two women, were arrested on Sunday after Punjab Police busted a heroin trafficking network and recovered 4.8 kg of the contraband, an illegal weapon and two vehicles.
Director general of police Gaurav Yadav said the arrests followed a two-month-long jail-based interception.
“In a major breakthrough, Faridkot Police, after a two-month-long jail-based interception, busts a well-organised heroin trafficking network, apprehends six accused, including one Army personnel and one dismissed police personnel, and recovers 4.8 kilograms of heroin, one weapon, and a Thar and an XUV,” Yadav said in a post on X.
An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages, he added in a later statement, saying the operation was based on intelligence inputs that exposed the cartel’s linkages.
According to Punjab Police, those arrested are Jarnail Singh alias Goldy, a Ludhiana resident serving in the Indian Army; Amardeep Singh alias Boxer, a Punjab Armed Police cadre employee dismissed in 2021; Dimple Rani of Ferozepur; and Ramandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba and Amritpal Singh alias Abhijot, all residents of Moga.
Addressing a press conference in Faridkot, Senior Superintendent of Police Pragya Jain said police seized Rs 30,000 in alleged drug money and impounded a Thar and an XUV-500 used for trafficking.
Jain said the involvement of a serving Army personnel and a former police official indicated a network that used institutional knowledge.
“They misused their official identification cards for easy passage through nakas and toll plazas. Taking along women accomplices in the vehicles while transporting the consignment also points to a well-thought-out modus operandi,” she said.
The two women, Dimple Rani and Ramandeep Kaur, were actively involved in the network and travelled with the other accused, she added.
Police said the case originated from an earlier arrest in which weapons were recovered. During follow-up investigation and human intelligence gathering, the present network came to light.
In the early hours of February 21, police intercepted a Thar carrying Jarnail Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Amritpal Singh and Ramandeep Kaur. A search led to the recovery of 1.08 kg of heroin and Rs 30,000 in cash.
During questioning, the four allegedly revealed that Boxer was the mastermind. He was later arrested along with Dimple Rani. From them, police recovered an XUV 500, over 3.7 kg of heroin, an illegal weapon and cartridges.
“We found hooks on the heroin packets, indicating that the consignment was a drone-dropped delivery,” Jain said. She added, “A jailed person is involved in the module. We will bring him on a production warrant and gather more information.”
On the person’s identity, she said it cannot be disclosed at the moment as it could hamper the ongoing investigation.
“It was found that the module was using a mobile phone in jail, through which this person was issuing instructions. We have brought up the matter with the jail authorities,” she added.
Police said preliminary investigation suggests the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers who used drones to push heroin consignments into Indian territory.
Jain said Boxer is a habitual offender with nine previous criminal cases, including two registered in Haryana’s Sirsa and one by Punjab’s Counter-Intelligence wing. Other members also face cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Arms Act.
All the accused have been remanded in police custody. Further investigation is focusing on handlers operating from across the border and local distribution points, police said.
