Punjab police have busted two separate cross-border smuggling rings with the arrest of four smugglers and the seizure of 77.8 kilograms of heroin in Ferozepur, one of the biggest drug trafficking cases this year, a senior official said Sunday.
Superintendent of Police Gaurav Yadav said in a statement that three pistols were also seized from the arrested defendant.
Both operations were carried out by the police counterintelligence wing, Ferozepur.
Yadav said that after credible reports of the movement of a large shipment of drugs, police arrested two men as they arrived on motorbikes after the drug recovery.
The arrested defendants have been identified as Gagga Gill alias Gagan alias Kali from Bare Ke village in Ferozepur and Veer Singh alias Veeru from Muhar Sona village in Fazilka. Seized 41.8kg of heroin
Police recovered from them 41.8 kg of heroin, two 9mm pistols, four magazines and 100 rounds of ammunition, a 30 caliber Zigana along with two magazines and 15 rounds of ammunition.
Yadav said a lawsuit has been filed against them under the terms of the Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law and the Firearms Law in Fazilka.
During the second operation, police teams arrested Jasbhinder Singh alias Bhinda and Jagdeep Singh alias Bhuchar, both residents of Deep Singh Wala village in Faridkot, after seizing 36 kg of heroin. The couple was riding on a motorbike after taking the shipment when they were arrested.
Yadav said a separate case was registered against them at the Fazilka police station. "These modules have been actively involved in cross-border and interstate drug trafficking in Punjab," he said.
Superintendent of Special Police (Internal Security) RN Dhoke said police teams are investigating backward and forward links in both cases to determine the roles of others involved, including people in Pakistan who sent the shipments. He added that more arrests are expected in the coming days.
