KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Police on August 12 intercepted a truck, arrested an individual identified as Gurtajinder Singh Pintu, and seized 150 kg of poppy husk from his possession in Malerkotla district.
Police on August 12 arrested two individuals, identified as Imran Khan Kaka and Mohammad Anish, and seized 20,000 habit-forming tablets in Gattu Wala Khooh village in Malerkotla district.
Police on August 12 arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Kamla and Jagiro, and seized 5 grams of heroin from their possession in Goraya, Jalandhar district. Kamla was initially arrested on August 11 and, during interrogation, revealed that she obtained the heroin from Jagiro, who was subsequently arrested on August 12. Both individuals have prior drug-related criminal records and are facing charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, with further investigations underway to uncover their connections to larger trafficking networks.
Amritsar (Rural) Police on August 11 arrested an individual identified as Joban Singh alias Dhillon and seized 500 grams of heroin and 1.16 kg of opium from his possession in Gharinda village in Amritsar district. The arrest followed a tip-off about Dhillon's involvement in large-scale drug smuggling.
The Khuikhera police on August 11 arrested a drug peddler, identified as Karandeep Singh Karni, and seized 1,350 pregabalin capsules (300 mg each) and a stolen bike from his possession in Khuikhera village, Abohar in Fazilka district. According to the police, Karni was using the unnumbered stolen bike for his operations.
Ludhiana Police on August 10 arrested an individual identified as Sunny alias Rambo and seized 153 grams of heroin from his possession in Himmat Singh Nagar in Ludhiana district. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered, and the police plan to obtain his remand to further investigate and dismantle the drug supply chain.
On August 10, in a joint operation with central agencies, Punjab Police arrested Simranjot Singh Sandhu, an international drug smuggler and the kingpin of the 487 kg cocaine smuggling case, in Bhaloor village, Moga district. Sandhu played a significant role in drug trafficking between India, Europe, and South America, smuggling large quantities of cocaine, marijuana, and hashish. After being sentenced in Germany in 2022, he fled to Dubai and then to India, evading arrest across multiple locations, including Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Rajasthan.
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) team of Jalandhar (Rural) police on August 9 uncovered an inter-state opium racket and arrested three individuals, identified as Usma Khan, Junaid Ansari Ahmid, and Adarsh Kumar, seizing 2 kg of opium from their possession in Lambra village in Jalandhar district. According to the police, the suspects are linked to a broader network operating between Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh (UP), with the seized opium intended for further distribution.
During a joint search operation on August 8, Border Security Force (BSF) troops and Punjab Police recovered 473 grams of heroin wrapped in yellow and black adhesive tape from fields near Kalia village in Tarn Taran district.
Punjab Police on August 7 conducted a large-scale cordon and search operation (CASO) code-named 'Eagle V,' targeting drug hotspots across all 28 police districts in Punjab. The operation resulted in 61 First Information Reports (FIRs), 82 arrests, and the seizure of 270g of heroin, 74kg of poppy husk, 2kg of ganja, 1,868 intoxicant tablets, and a large quantity of illicit and licit liquor and lahan.
Ferozepur Police on August 7 arrested two drug smugglers, including a woman identified as Simran Kaur alias Indu Bala, and Gurjot Singh, and seized 6.65 kg of heroin and INR 6 lakh in drug money at a checkpoint near Old Mudki Road in Bagha Purana village, Ferozepur district. Simran, who has a history of 15 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Prisons Act, was previously involved in a high-profile sex scandal. The police intercepted the duo with the drugs, reportedly dropped by a Pakistani drone, and have initiated proceedings to forfeit their illegally acquired property.
Acting on information from the Crime Investigation Department (CID), a joint team from the health department and police arrested a medical store owner, Rajat Gaba, and seized 5,270 banned tablets, 260 capsules, abortion kits, and INR 10.61 lakh in drug money from his house in Faridkot district on August 5.
A City-1 police team arrested an individual identified as Sonu on August 5 and seized 1,300 Pregabalin capsules from his possession near the new grain market in Abohar, Fazilka district. According to the police, Sonu was illegally distributing tablets to daily-wage labourers while posing as a medical practitioner.
Police on August 5 arrested three individuals identified as Manpreet Singh, Harshdeep Singh, and Manpreet Singh, and seized 402 grams of heroin and a car from their possession in Bathinda district. The suspects revealed they had sourced the heroin from Tarn Taran and intended to distribute it in various villages.
Kapurthala police on August 3 arrested four Special Task Force (STF) personnel—Sub-Inspector Salvister Masih, Constable Gurvinder Singh, Constable Sham Masih, and Head Constable Major Singh—on the orders of the High Court in Kapurthala district. The arrests are related to allegations that these personnel fabricated a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case in 2019.
Amritsar City Police on August 1 busted a cross-border smuggling network, arresting one drug smuggler identified as Gurmej Singh, and seizing 3.5 kg of heroin, INR 1 lakh in drug money, and a motorcycle from his possession near Ghanupur Kale Road in the Chheharta area of Amritsar district. According to the police, Singh was in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers who were using drones for drug transport. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of the smuggling network.
The Special Task Force (STF) of the Punjab Police on July 30 arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Sahil and Rajveer, and seized 353 grams of heroin at a checkpoint near Curo Mall in Jalandhar district. The arrested individuals are in custody for further interrogation, with investigations into their connections and intended recipients ongoing.
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation, on July 30 arrested two individuals, identified as Raj Singh alias Kala and Ramesh Singh, alias Meshu, and recovered 3.597 kg of heroin and a Pakistani drone (hexacopter) from fields near Bareke village in Ferozepur district. The heroin was reportedly smuggled from Pakistan using the drone.
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on July 28 dismantled an international narcotic network and arrested eight individuals identified as Jagroop Singh, Bhavjot Singh, Ravinder Singh, Anil Gupta, Bikramjit Singh, Tarsem Singh, Sumit Chole, and Pratap Singh and seized 100 grams of heroin, a 32-bore pistol, two live cartridges, 106,860 narcotics tablets, 4,320 capsules, and a car from their possession in Jalandhar district. The investigation revealed a network involving drug manufacturing in Gujarat and distribution through Agra and Amritsar, with potential international links. Further investigations are ongoing.
Police on July 28 arrested one individual identified as Baldev Singh for selling intoxicating pills to labourers, and seized 230 banned capsules from his possession, in Chuhriwala Dhanna village in Fazilka district.
Police on July 28 arrested one individual identified as Jeevan Singh alias Kaka and seized 30 banned capsules (pregabalin) from his possession, in Patti Sadiq village in Abohar in Fazilka district.
In a joint operation on July 27, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police arrested two unidentified individuals and seized a packet containing 540 grams of heroin along with one pistol, a magazine and five bullets from their possession, in Agwan village in Gurdaspur district.
An anti-narcotics cell team of the police on July 25 recovered 220 kg of poppy husk from a canter in Abohar, Fazilka district. The police revealed that the canter had entered Abohar from Sadulshahar in Rajasthan.
The Police on July 25 arrested four individuals, identified as Dimple Kumar, Sukhbir Singh, Gurbalraj Singh alias Fauji, and Arshdeep alias Arsh Singh, and seized 525 grams of heroin from their possession in Panjawa Mandal village in Abohar in Fazilka district.
A team from the Wahabwala police station on July 24 arrested a drug peddler identified as Navneet Garg and seized 20 kg of poppy husk from his possession in Abohar, Fazilka district. The police revealed that the poppy husk was smuggled from Sadulshehar in Sriganganagar district, Rajasthan.