Navi Mumbai Police Bust Interstate Drug Racket, Seize Heroin, Glock Pistol Worth ₹1.03 Crore; 3 Punjab Men Arrested

Navi Mumbai, March 16: Narcotics believed to have been smuggled into India from Pakistan and Afghanistan using drones were being trafficked to Maharashtra through Punjab, the Navi Mumbai Police said after arresting three alleged drug traffickers from Punjab in Pune district and seizing heroin, a Glock pistol and other materials collectively worth Rs 1.03 crore.

With this action, the total number of arrests in the interstate drug trafficking network has reached 40, while 15 more accused are still wanted in the case, officials said.

Truck intercepted during anti-narcotics operation

The arrests were made during the investigation of a case registered at Taloja Police Station. Acting on information, the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch tracked a truck suspected to be transporting narcotics from Punjab and intercepted it at Chakan MIDC near Nigoje village in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune district.

The accused have been identified as Baljit Singh Savinder Singh alias Monu, Gurpratap Singh Sharanjit Singh alias Gopi, and truck driver Karamjit Singh Narinder Singh, all residents of Amritsar, Punjab. Police said the trio allegedly transported drugs to Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Pune using trucks after entering Maharashtra through the Madhya Pradesh route.

Heroin, firearm and truck seized

During the operation, police seized 82.6 grams of high-grade heroin worth Rs 41.30 lakh, an Austria-made Glock pistol worth Rs 8 lakh, two magazines, four live cartridges worth Rs 2.5 lakh, a trailer truck valued at Rs 50 lakh, along with four mobile phones and a weighing scale, taking the total value of seized property to about Rs 1.03 crore.

“During the investigation of the Taloja NDPS case, our team developed inputs that a Punjab-based network was transporting narcotics to Maharashtra through trucks. The vehicle was tracked from Nashik and intercepted in Pune district. Prima facie, the contraband appears to have originated from Pakistan and Afghanistan and was smuggled into India using drones before being routed through Punjab to Maharashtra,” said Dharmapal Bansode, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Anti-Narcotics Cell), Navi Mumbai Crime Branch.

Network linked to youth drug supply

Police said the network was allegedly supplying drugs mainly to youths in the 22 to 30 age group across parts of Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Pune, prompting intensified surveillance by the Anti-Narcotics Cell.

Officials added that six cases have been registered so far at the Navi Mumbai Police Commissionerate in connection with the trafficking network, leading to the arrest of 40 accused and seizure of contraband and property worth around Rs 6 crore.

Further probe underway

The accused have been remanded to police custody until March 18, 2026, and further investigation is underway to trace the remaining suspects.

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The operation was carried out under the guidance of Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe, Joint Commissioner Sanjay Yenpure, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deepak Sakore, and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Sachin Gunjal.

The operation was led by ACP Dharmapal Bansode and Senior Police Inspector Sandeep Nigade, along with Assistant Police Inspector Nilesh Dhumal and other personnel of the Anti-Narcotics Cell.

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