Striking a big blow to the gangster-narco nexus, Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted a trans-border narcotic smuggling racket with the arrest of three drug smugglers and recovered 1kg Ice (Methamphetamine) and 1kg Heroin from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Wednesday.

Those arrested have been identified as Karandeep Singh (22), a resident of village Bhakna Kala in Amritsar, Jeewan Singh (19) and Manjinder Singh (21), both residents of Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran. Police teams have also impounded their car Toyota Etios in which they were travelling.

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DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that arrested accused Karandeep had been living in Dubai and Moscow in Russia before returning back to Punjab after six years.

After returning to Punjab, accused Karandeep has established contacts with the Pak-based drug smugglers using various social media apps and started smuggling narcotics from across the border to further supply them in Amritsar and neighbouring districts, he said, while adding that drones were being used by Pak-based smugglers to influx narcotics into the territory of the state.

The DGP said the probe has also found that the accused Karandeep was also in touch with foreign-based Gangster Gurdev alias Jaisal. An FIR under NDPS Act registered at Police Station Airport Amritsar and Investigations ongoing to establish backward and forward linkages, he added.

Pertinently, Gurdev Jaisel is a key operative of Canada-based terrorists Lakhbir alias Landa and Satbir Singh alias Satta, who were behind the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack at Police Station Sarhali and numerous plots to commit targeted killings in Punjab.

Sharing operation details while addressing a press conference, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting swiftly on a secret input, police teams from CIA Staff-1 under the supervision of DCP Investigation Harpreet Singh Mander laid a naka near Puli Sua at Ajnala Road in Amritsar and arrested trio accused persons after recovering drug consignments from their vehicle.

The CP said that further investigations are going on. More arrests and recoveries are expected in coming days, he added. A case FIR No. 44 dated 5.11.2024 has been registered under sections 21C, 22C and 23 of the NDPS Act at Police Station Airport Amritsar.