Chandigarh: Punjab police on Sunday claimed to have busted a cross-border drug and arms smuggling racket being operated by USA-based smuggler Manpreet, alias Mannu Mahawa, with the arrest of its two key operatives from Amritsar.
Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, said that the arrested accused had been identified as Sandeep Singh, alias Laddi, a resident of Guru Ki Wadali area, and Roshan, a resident of Heir area of Amritsar.
Confiscated items
DGP Yadav said that police teams had recovered 19 kg of heroin, Rs 23 lakh in drug money, 7 pistols - including one sophisticated 9mm Glock, three .30 bore pistols, and three .32 bore pistols - along with Pak stamped ammunition, a currency counting machine, and drone equipment, including a remote controller and spare fans, from their possession. Besides, their Hyundai Verna car, in which they were going to supply the heroin consignment, was also impounded, he said.
Citing preliminary probe, DGP Yadav said that the accused were directly in touch with USA-based smuggler Mannu Mahawa and were supplying heroin across the state after smuggling it from Pakistan. Apart from investigating backward and forward linkages, Amritsar commissionerate police teams are also working on the financial investigation on the Hawala links and property details to get them frozen, he added.
Further investigation underway
Sharing details of the operation, commissioner of police (CP), Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that police teams had received reliable inputs that associates of smugglers Mannu Mahawa had retrieved the heroin consignment sent by Pak-based smugglers from across the border and were on the way to deliver it to someone.
“Acting promptly, police teams conducted special police checks in the area of Islamabad and arrested both the accused persons when they were waiting for someone to deliver the consignment,” he said.
CP Bhullar said that further efforts were on to ascertain the total quantity of narcotics and weapons procured by the arrested accused so far.
