Punjab Police busts narco smuggling, arms cartel; two held with 8.2 kg heroin

Amritsar Commissionerate Police has busted trans-border narco smuggling and arms cartel with the arrest of two persons and seized 8.

27 kg Heroin, 6 kg opium, 13.

1 kg chemical and 4 pistols including one sophisticated 9MM Glock along with 17 cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Friday.

Those arrested have been identified as Aditya Pratap alias Kaka (23), a resident of Bhalla Colony in Cheharta, Amritsar and Shambhu Kabir (35), a resident of Prem Nagar, Kot Khalsa now Bhai Manjh Sahib, Tarn Taran Road in Amritsar.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that both the arrested accused persons have criminal histories as cases pertaining to the NDPS act and Arms Act registered against both of them, while, accused Shambhu Kabir is also wanted in a murder case.

He said that further investigations are going on to establish backwards and forward linkages in this case.

Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that following reliable inputs about the involvement of accused Aditya alias Kaka in smuggling of weapons, police teams from Police Station Islamabad laid a trap and arrested him from Band Bhatha at Prem Nagar Road in Kot Khalsa, Amritsar and recovered two pistols– including .

32 bore and .

30 bore, and 13 live cartridges from his possession.

He said that during follow-up investigations in this case, the name of the other accused Shambu Kabir was also cropped up, following which, police teams immediately nominated him and launched an operation to nab him.

Accused Shambu Kabir was arrested from Old Gas Godown at Guru Ki Wadali Road in Kot Khalsa, Amritsar.

During the course of the investigation on the disclosure of accused Shambu, police teams have recovered 275g Heroin, 11.

1 Kg chemical (used to mix with heroin) and one .

32 bore pistol from his possession, he added.

The CP said that in further course of investigation on the disclosure of accused Aditya alias Kaka two parcels of 5 kg and 3 kg Heroin each, 2 kg Chemical, 6 kg Opium and one 9MM Glock Pistol along with one live cartridge were recovered from him.

More arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days.

Meanwhile, three separate cases including case Fir No 240 dated 6/11/23 under section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Islamabad, FIR No.

247 under sections 18 and 21-C of the NDPS Act and section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Islamabad and FIR No.

246 dated 13/11/24 under section 21-C of the NDPS Act at Police Station Islamabad have been registered against them.

Earlier today, DGP Punjab police Anti-Narcotics Task Force and inaugurated the new Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Support Services Unit (SSU), equipped with cutting-edge tech to boost intelligence and combat drug trafficking, marking a major step toward a drug-free Punjab.