CHANDIGARH/AMRITSAR, November 6: Striking a big blow to the gangster-narco nexus, Amritsar Commissioner ate Police has busted a trans-border narcotic smuggling racket with the arrest of three drug smugglers and recovered 1kg Ice (Methamphetamine) and 1kg Heroin from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

Police identified the arrested as Karandeep Singh (22) from Bhakna Kala village in Amritsar, and Jeewan Singh (19) and Manjinder Singh (21), both from Chohla Sahib in Tarn Taran. Police teams have also impounded their car Toyota Etios in which they were travelling. DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that arrested accused Karandeep had been living in Dubai and Moscow in Russia before returning back to Punjab  after six years.

Arrested Karandeep Singh Linked to Foreign Gangster Gurdev Jaisal: DGP

After returning to Punjab, accused Karandeep established contacts with Pakistan-based drug smugglers through social media apps and began smuggling narcotics across the border to supply in Amritsar and nearby districts, he said. He added that Pakistan-based smugglers were using drones to transport narcotics into the state.

The DGP further stated that the probe has revealed that, in addition to several other findings, the accused, Karandeep, was also in contact with the foreign-based gangster, Gurdev, also known as Jaisal. Moreover, an FIR under the NDPS Act has been registered at the Police Station Airport Amritsar, and investigations are currently ongoing to establish both backward and forward linkages, he added.

Narcotic smuggling  :Gurdev Jaisel is a key operative of Canada-based terrorists

Notably, Canada-based terrorists Lakhbir alias Landa and Satbir Singh alias Satta, who orchestrated the RPG attack on Sarhali Police Station and numerous targeted killings in Punjab, rely on Gurdev Jaisel as a key operative.

Sharing operation details while addressing a press conference, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting swiftly on a secret input, police teams from CIA Staff-1 under the supervision of DCP Investigation Harpreet Singh Mander laid a naka near Puli Sua at Ajnala road in Amritsar and arrested trio accused persons after recovering drug consignments from their vehicle.

Police expect more arrests and recoveries in coming days.

The CP said that further investigations are going on. He added that police expect more arrests and recoveries in the coming days. They have registered case FIR No. 44, dated 05.11.2024, under sections 21C, 22C, and 23 of the NDPS Act at Airport Police Station in Amritsar.