Chandigarh, Feb 22 (IANS) Punjab Police on Sunday said it has busted a Pakistan-linked international drug cartel with the arrest of six persons, including a serving Army personnel and a dismissed Punjab Police employee, and recovered 4.8 kg of heroin, a pistol, and drug money from their possession.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the accused were identified as Jarnail Singh, currently serving in the Indian Army; Amardeep Singh, a dismissed Punjab Police employee; Dimple Rani of Ferozepur; and Ramandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Singh, and Amritpal Singh, all residents of Moga district.

Police teams recovered 4.8 kg heroin, Rs 30,000 in suspected drug money, and a .30 bore pistol along with three cartridges from the accused. Two vehicles allegedly used for trafficking — a Thar and an XUV-500 — were also seized.

DGP Yadav said the arrests followed a two-month-long intelligence-led operation involving jail-based interceptions, which helped expose the network’s cross-border linkages.

Preliminary investigation indicated that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers, who allegedly used drones to deliver heroin consignments across the international border into Indian territory.

He said further investigation is underway to establish both forward and backward linkages and identify other members of the network.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Faridkot) Pragya Jain said the breakthrough came after a CIA Staff team intercepted a Thar vehicle near Green Avenue on the intervening night of February 20 and 21.

A search conducted under the supervision of DSP Tarlochan Singh led to the recovery of 1.008 kg heroin and cash, resulting in the arrest of four occupants of the vehicle.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that the consignment had been supplied by Amardeep Singh, who was travelling in an XUV-500 vehicle.

Acting on this information, police teams intercepted Amardeep Singh and his associate Dimple Rani near Goleana Semnala village and recovered an additional 3.796 kg heroin and a .30 bore pistol from their possession.

SSP Jain said Amardeep Singh is a habitual offender with nine previous criminal cases registered against him, while other accused also have cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act.

She said the accused allegedly misused official identity cards to bypass security checks at checkpoints and toll plazas.

Police have obtained remand of the accused for further interrogation to identify handlers operating from across the border and trace the distribution network within the state.

Further investigation is in progress.

–IANS

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