In a breakthrough against trans-border narcotic smuggling networks amidst the ongoing war against drugs launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Central Agencies and Border Security Force (BSF), have arrested an Army personnel and his aide after recovering 29 packets of heroin, weighing 31.02 kilogram, from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Saturday.

The 26-years-old Army personnel, posted as Sepoy in Pathankot, was arrested along with his aide Paramjeet Singh alias Pamma of Village Mahalam in Fazilka. Apart from recovering heroin, the police have also recovered a car (UP 80 CD 0023) and two mobile phones from their possession.

In a well-coordinated operation with Central Agencies and BSF, DGP Gaurav Yadav said, Fazilka Police launched a cordon and search operation in the area of Sadar Fazilka.

“On checking of the Verna car, one of the occupants showed an Indian Army ID card, and when police insisted for checking the vehicle they managed to flee in the car,” he said, adding that the police teams immediately strengthened all the Naka points and managed to trace them at Gaaganke-Shamsabad road Nakabandi.He said that on checking the vehicle, the police teams have recovered 29 packets of Heroin from the car.

DIG Ferozepur range Ranjit Singh Dhillon said that during preliminary investigation it has come to fore that both the accused persons were escaping the border district after retrieving consignment of drugs pushed by Pakistan-based smugglers through border fencing with the help of a pipe. Further investigations are on, he said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab Police on Saturday morning launched massive raids on suspected hideouts of persons linked with Gangster turned Terrorist Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla.

The DGP said today’s searches were planned after the questioning of several persons in the recently busted modules backed by Arsh Dalla.During the search operation, as many as 192 Police parties searched the premises of at least 232 persons linked with Dalla.

Dalla is a notorious gangster turned terrorist involved in various criminal activities in Punjab and abroad and is a most wanted criminal by the Punjab Police. He is a Category-A gangster turned terrorist and is a Khalistan Tiger Force operative, which is a banned terrorist organisation. In 2020, after committing the murder of one of his associate Sukkha Lamme, he escaped to Canada.