KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Police on March 3 arrested two men, identified as Sukhdev Kaur and Veerpal Kaur and seized 2 kg of poppy husk from their possession, in Abohar in Fazilka district. They were returning to Punjab from Bikaner in Rajasthan.
Police, on February 29, busted a cross-border drug cartel being run by a United States (US)-based drug peddler, Jasmeet Singh alias Lucky, by arresting Gurpreet Kumar alias Deep and seizing 5 kg of heroin and one Tata Ace car from his possession in Kajikot village in Tarn Taran district. During questioning, Deep admitted to receiving drug consignments from across the border on the instructions of Lucky, revealing the international connections and operational dynamics of the drug cartel. Earlier, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police had arrested five drug smugglers of Jasmeet alias Lucky module after recovering 6.2 kg of heroin, INR 3.80 lakh drug money, a car, and 12 sims from their possession.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on February 28 intercepted a drone and recovered three packets of suspected heroin weighing 3.030 kg, a hexacopter drone attached to it, and two mobile phones, from near Uttar Dhariwal village in Amritsar district.
Police on February 28 arrested two individuals, identified as Rajan and Sachin Sharma, and seized 204 grams of heroin from their possession in Derabassi in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. During the interrogation, the accused confessed to obtaining heroin from a Nigerian national in Tilak Nagar, Delhi, exposing the intricate international drug trade network.
Police on February 27 arrested a woman after a video went viral, showing a migrant woman openly selling drugs to addicts in Sanjay Nagar in Faridkot district. The footage depicted the woman handing drugs to individuals on a motorcycle in exchange for money, prompting local families to intervene and urge her to cease the illicit activity.
Police on February 27 arrested one person, identified as Paramjit Singh and seized 35 kg of poppy husk from his mini truck, at the Rajpura barrier near Rajpura village in Fazilka district.
Police on February 27 arrested a man, identified as Gajjan Singh and seized 105 gm of smack from his possession, near Panjawa canal bridge near Panjawa in Fazilka district. Gajjan revealed that he had allegedly purchased the smack from Amarjit Singh. Amarjit was consequently listed as a co-accused.
The Border Security Force (BSF) in a joint operation with Punjab Police on February 27 arrested one unidentified person and seized 500 grams of heroin from his possession, near Ramdas village in Amritsar district. Another suspect managed to escape during the operation, efforts are underway to nab him.
Police on February 27 arrested three persons, identified as Sukhpreet Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Hardeep Singh and seized 302 gm of heroin and four country-made weapons, two.32 pistols and ammunition from their possession in Shahkot in Jalandhar district. All three individuals are history-sheeters with previous cases related to robbery, attempted murder, and violations of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Arms Act.
Police on February 24 arrested an inter-state drug supplier who had been evading authorities for the past year, identified as Kanwarbir Singh at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi as he attempted to flee to Canada. He was identified as the kingpin of an interstate narcotics cartel.
Police on February 23 busted an inter-state opium smuggling gang and arrested three persons identified as Kartar Singh alias Kala, Sanjay Kumar, and Pradeep Kumar and seized 17.5 kg of opium, INR 15 lakh, and an SUV from their possession in Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district in Punjab. The gang sourced opium from Jharkhand and distributed it locally. One suspect, identified as Anil Kumar, is still at large.
The police on February 22 two drug peddlers, including a woman identified as Usha Rani and Sona Singh, and seized 15 gm of heroin from their possession, from Tiwana Kalan village in Fazilka district.
The police on February 22 arrested one person, identified as Lakhwinder Singh and seized 10 gm of heroin from his possession, in Fazilka in Fazilka district.
The police on February 21 arrested a 30-year-old man identified as Satyadev Tiru and seized 15 kg of opium from his possession at Ludhiana railway station in Ludhiana district. Tiru admitted to intending to deliver the opium to Phagwara in Punjab. He also confessed to having delivered opium in Punjab multiple times before and had previously smuggled over 80 kg of opium into the state.
The Special Task Force (STF) on February 21 arrested two persons, identified as Shubham Kumar and his accomplice, Honey and seized 1.97 kg of heroin from their possession in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. Shubham, who had been involved in multiple criminal cases before, confessed to being unemployed and a drug addict. This highlights the nexus between unemployment, addiction, and drug trafficking in the region.
On February 21, the Border Security Force (BSF) intercepted a drone and recovered 505 gm of heroin, along with the broken drone, near Changa Rai Hithar village in Ferozepur district. The drone was identified as a Quadcopter of the DJI Mavic 3 Classic model, manufactured in China.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on February 19 recovered one packet of suspected heroin weighing 700 gm, during an extensive search operation near Roranwala Khurd village in Amritsar district.
The Jalandhar Police Commissionerate on February 19 busted a drug smuggling racket by arresting one person identified as Rohit Kumar and seized 200 grams of heroin from his possession, near Joginder Nagar T-point in Rama Mandi in Jalandhar district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on February 17 recovered 440 gm of heroin from farming fields near Bharopal Village in Amritsar district.
The police on February 17 arrested one individual identified as Namdev, along with an unidentified accomplice, and seized 1 kg of heroin, INR 60,000 in drug money, and a scooter from his possession in Hardo Rattan village in Amritsar district. Based on information provided by him, the police, on February 18, recovered 2 kg of heroin near the defense drain in Hardo Rattan village. Namdev disclosed that he received location coordinates from Pakistan-based smugglers, implicating Tanvir, also known as Rana, in drug peddling.
Amritsar rural police, on February 16, busted a major drug syndicate being operated from Dubai by arresting five peddlers identified as Sarwan Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Vishal Singh, Harmeet Singh, and Hari Singh along with 4.4 kg of heroin, a .32 bore pistol along with 5 bullets, two cars, a tractor, and INR 3.8 lakh in drug money from their possession in Gharinda, Amritsar district. The investigation also uncovered a significant hawala racket, revealing several financial transactions across different locations. The syndicate's operations were linked to Bantu of Mehta, who operated from Dubai. The arrests were made following the interrogation of two initial drug smugglers, Sarwan Singh and Sukhdev Singh, with the police seizing 2 kg of heroin from their possession. This was followed by the arrest of Vishal Singh, with the police seizing 900 gm of heroin and INR 3.8 lakh in drug money from his possession. Subsequently, Harmeet Singh and Hari Singh were arrested, with the police seizing 1.5 kg of heroin, a .32 bore pistol along with 5 bullets, and a tractor from their possession.
Police on February 15 arrested three persons identified as Lovpreet Singh, Sher Singh Shera and Jajbir Singh and seized 310 gm of heroin from their possession, in Van Tara Singh village in Tarn Taran district.
Police on February 15 arrested two unidentified opium smugglers and seized 1 kg of opium from their possession in Kanal in Bathinda in Bathinda district. The court ordered the accused to be remanded into police custody for 2 days.
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff of Punjab Police on February 14 arrested two drug peddlers identified as Vikash and Honey and seized over 1 kg of heroin from their possession in Chheharta in Amritsar district. Further investigation revealed their involvement in drug trafficking in the Chheharta area, prompting ongoing raids to arrest their suppliers.
Police on February 13 seized 520 grams of heroin from fields behind a house in Daoke village in Amritsar district, following a tip-off. The villagers aided in the operation. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against unidentified individuals.
Police on February 12 arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Sarwan Singh and Sukhdev Singh and seized 2 kg of heroin from their possession at a checkpoint near Defence Drain Bridge in Gharindi village in Amritsar district. They were apprehended while transporting the heroin in a white Alto car, allegedly obtained from Pakistan via drones. The suspects attempted to evade capture, but their car overturned during a police chase. Both were injured and taken to the hospital before being detained.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on February 12 busted an international drug racket operating across Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Dubai, with the arrest of nine unidentified people, including three Mexicans, and seized more than 15 kg of methamphetamine (ICE), 9 kg of pseudoephedrine and other chemicals from their possession, in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district. An advocate from Mohali is identified as the prime suspect, with reports suggesting that the cartel ran a laboratory-like facility in Ludhiana for preparing drugs. Earlier, on February 9, had carried out a raid at a local gym and had arrested the owner Gurmail Singh alias Garry and had seized equipment valued at INR 37 lakh. The gym was reportedly operated by a member of the drug syndicate, identified as Akshay Chhabra.
The Special Task Force (STF) of Ludhiana Range on February 12 arrested a Nigerian drug peddler, identified as Frank Chubaeji and seized 260 gm of methamphetamine (ICE) from his possession in the Daba area of Ludhiana district. He had a history of drug-related arrests and was declared a proclaimed offender by the court. Additionally, he acted as a liaison between Punjab-based peddlers and suppliers in New Delhi.
The Special Task Force (STF) on February 11 busted a drug supply chain with the arrest of four persons identified as Jagdev Singh alias Jagga, Harpreet Singh alias Jassi, Jaspreet Singh alias Jassi, and Harinder Singh alias Harry, and seized 3.48 kg of heroin and 310 gm of ICE (Methamphetamine) from their possession, near GNE College on Gill Road in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district. The accused sourced drugs from a Nigerian national in New Delhi and distributed them to addicts in Punjab.
The Police and the Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation on February 11, arrested a smuggler identified as Sukhchain Singh and seized 1 kg of heroin from his possession near Chhanga Rai Hithar village in Firozpur district. The police revealed that information was received about Sukhchain Singh and Mangal Singh receiving heroin consignments from Pakistani smugglers, leading to the arrest of Sukhchain Singh. Upon interrogation, Sukhchain revealed the location of two 500 gm heroin consignments hidden in a field along the international border, subsequently recovered by the authorities.
Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) in a joint operation on February 11 recovered 500 gm of heroin and a drone, from fields near Awan Basau village in Amritsar district. The recovered drone was a Quadcopter model DJI Mavic 3 Classic manufactured in China.
The city-1 police on February 11 arrested two persons, identified as Laddi and Kamaldeep and seized 50 gm of heroin from their possession in Abohar in Fazilka district, while one accomplice Shobha Singh remains at large. According to the Police, the trio were allegedly involved in smuggling heroin into Punjab, and selling it at high rates for profit.
Security agencies on February 7 recovered 1 kg of heroin near Rudiana village in Gurdaspur district, believed to have been dropped by a drone.
The Police arrested a man identified as Balkar Singh and seized 220 gm of ICE (Methamphetamine) from his possession, near Satiyewala Chowk in Ferozepur in Ferozepur district. According to investigations, the drug was smuggled from Pakistan through a drone.
Rajpura police on February 7 busted an inter-state drugs module with the arrest of two persons identified as Kulwinder Singh Kindi and Palwinder Singh Billa along with 1.05 lakh banned Lomotil tablets in Rajpura in Patiala district.
Police on February 6 arrested three persons, identified as Jaswant Singh, Karamjit Singh and Lakhwinder Singh and seized 255 grams of heroin from their possession, at a naka (checkpoint) near Kangniwal village in Jalandhar district. The Police seized 105 grams of heroin from Jaswant, 95 grams of heroin from Karamjit and 55 grams of heroin from Lakhwinder. Involved in illegal mining previously, they turned to drug smuggling for quick profits, with indications of cross-border involvement.
Police on February 5 arrested two youngsters, identified as Suraj Singh and Jashandeep Singh, and seized 1.15 kg of heroin, INR 12,000, and two cell phones from their possession at a checkpoint on Ferozepur Road near Sri Muktsar Sahib in Sri Muktsar Sahib district.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, in a joint operation with Punjab Police on February 4, arrested a notorious drug peddler identified as Kulwinder Singh from Gujarpur village in Tarn Taran district of Punjab. Singh, identified as an inter-state heroin smuggler, was apprehended following the arrest of Farman Ali alias Munna, from Balole Khad village in Samba district in Jammu and Kashmir on January 24. Ali was found in possession of heroin and INR 1.29 lakh, having transferred INR 4.50 lakh to Singh for narcotics. This arrest is hailed as a significant achievement in combating narcotics smuggling in the region, with the police intensifying efforts to dismantle inter-state drug networks.
The Amritsar Rural Police on February 4 arrested an alleged drug peddler identified as Rajwinder Singh alias Goldy, and seized a mobile phone from him in Lopoke village in Amritsar district. He is accused of being involved in cross-border drug trafficking using drones and has been booked alongside Ranjit Singh, who is currently at large. Singh is allegedly connected to Pakistan-based narcotic and arms smugglers.
Gharinda police on February 4 arrested an individual identified as Onkar Singh and seized 265 gm of heroin from his possession at the T-Point near Dhanoe Khurd village in Amritsar district.
Police on February 3 arrested three drug smugglers, identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopa, Rashpal Singh alias Bhapa, and Rajdeep Singh alias Raja, and seized 650 gm of heroin from their possession near Bidhipur Chowk in Maqsudan in Jalandhar district. Gopa was arrested with 100 gm of heroin, revealing details of the operation, based on which the Police arrested Raja from Gharinda village and Bhapa from Muhawa village, both in Amritsar district. It was revealed that the operation utilized fields belonging to Bhapa, whose wife, a former sarpanch, facilitated access to the border.
Police on February 3 arrested a woman drug peddler identified as Kamaljit Kaur alias Toti and seized 11 loose intoxicant injections from her possession in Sangowal village in Ludhiana district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on February 2 recovered 500 grams of heroin in a packet wrapped with yellow adhesive tape along with a drone near Pallopati village in Tarn Taran district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on February 2 recovered three packets containing 1.6 kg of heroin, wrapped with yellow adhesive tape with a metal hook attached to them, from fields near Roranwala Khurd village in Amritsar district.
The Wahabwala police on February 2 arrested an individual identified as Vijay Kumar and seized 39 kg of poppy husk from his possession at Mehrajpur village in Fazilka district.
The police on February 2 arrested an individual, identified as Dilbagh Singh, for supplying 65 gm of heroin to his customers in Malout in Muktsar district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) and Special Task Force (STF) Amritsar, in a joint operation on February 1, recovered 3.432 kg of heroin wrapped with yellow adhesive tape, and a metal hook was attached to the packet, from a house in Didhowal village in Gurdaspur district.
Police on February 1 arrested two unidentified persons and seized 20 kg of poppy husk from their truck carrying onions, from Gumjal barrier near Gumjal in Fazilka district.
Police on February 1 arrested two unidentified persons, and seized 80 gm of heroin from their possession, in Abohar in Fazilka district.
The police on January 30 busted a criminal network by arresting five individuals, including a ‘big fish’ identified as Manjit Singh alias Manna, Lovejit Singh alias Luv, Harmanjit Singh alias Harman, Manpreet Singh, and Kes Kaur alias Kanso and seized 3 kg of heroin, INR 5.25 lakh in drug money, and three cars from their possession in Hargobind Pura in Chheharta in Amritsar district. Harmanjit was arrested on January 20, and the police seized 2 kg of heroin, an electronic scale, and INR 1.25 lakh in drug money from his possession. Based on his revelations, they subsequently arrested Manjit on January 22, along with Manjit’s brother Lovejit and his accomplice Manpreet. They seized 1 kg of heroin, an SUV, INR 4 lakh in drug money, and a motorcycle from their possession. Later, the police arrested their aide Kes Kaur and seized one car from his possession. He was wanted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in 260 kg heroin and 356 kg of heroin seizures. They had multiple cases against them, obtained fake passports, and were involved in hawala operations. Investigations are ongoing into their network, and various criminal charges are registered against them.