Punjab’s Amritsar Police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a suspected international narcotics network by arresting two drug traffickers in the city. The police said they have also seized contrabands of methamphetamine and heroin from the possession of the accused.
Officials aware of the development said that 10 kilograms of ICE (a potent form of methamphetamine) and 4 kilograms of heroin were seized during the operation. The investigating police personnel believe the accused were operating under the instructions of a Dubai-based drug smuggler, whose links extend to Abu Dhabi.
Representative image
Names of the accused
The police have identified the accused duo as Mohit alias Bachi (19), a resident of Pavaar village in Jalandhar, and Arshdeep Singh (23), a resident of Kot Khalsa in Amritsar. Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that as per preliminary investigations, the duo had been involved in drug trafficking across the state and in Delhi.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav
Mohit was trained to handle consignments in Dubai
The police learnt that Mohit, who had recently returned from Dubai, had been allegedly trained and instructed to handle consignments of heroin and ICE. They suspect that the syndicate had established a structured supply chain targeting the Majha and Doaba regions of Punjab.
Police officials went on to say that Mohit played a key role in transporting and distributing the drugs after receiving consignments routed through intermediaries. Amritsar’s Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that the arrests were carried out following specific tip-offs and a carefully coordinated operation by several police teams.
Representative image
Bhullar said, “During the search operation, the cops recovered substantial quantities of narcotics from the accused.”
The cops further said that Arshdeep had already been involved in smuggling and trafficking drugs and was in direct touch with the Dubai-based handler. He was entrusted with storing heroin consignments before passing them on for further delivery.
Racket used to target people from vulnerable backgrounds
When the police interrogated the accused duo, they learnt about the recruitment methods used by the syndicate. The police said that during interrogation, Mohit confessed to targeting financially vulnerable youngsters and persuading them to become involved in drug trafficking operations, promising it would yield a quick buck.
Representative image
Furthermore, the police revealed that the mother and sister of the alleged Dubai-based smuggler are currently serving imprisonment in Amritsar Central Jail on charges of a separate narcotics case.