In a major blow to the Pakistan’s ISI-backed trans-border drug trafficking module amidst the ongoing anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh”, Punjab Police’s Anti-Nercotics Task Force (ANTF) has arrested a Kapurthala-based notorious drug smuggler and recovered 50 kg heroin from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Saturday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Sandeep Singh alias Seepa, a resident of village Shanna Sher Singh Wala in Kapurthala. Apart from recovering big haul of heroin, police teams have also impounded his white Kia Seltos bearing registration number PB09AQ3598, in which he was travelling.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that this trans-border shipment of 50 kg heroin was sent by Pak-based ISI supported smugglers. He said that the arrested accused Sandeep alias Seepa, is a history-sheeter with eight criminal cases, including five under the NDPS Act, registered against him, indicating his deep involvement in organised drug trafficking.
The latter was recently released from Kapurthala Jail, he said. The DGP said that further investigations are ongoing to establish backward and forward linkages in this case. More recovery is likely in coming days, he added.
Sharing operational details, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) ANTF Nilabh Kishore said that acting on precise technical intelligence, ANTF teams were tracking the movement of the accused after he came out from the jail earlier this month. Intelligence suggested that the suspect had collected a heavy consignment of contraband from the border village of Baggeke Utar in Jalalabad, he said.
Acting swiftly ANTF teams spotted the suspect driving towards Ferozepur and upon being challenged, the suspect attempted to evade arrest, leading to a hot pursuit by the police team, said the ADGP, while adding that the suspect was eventually intercepted at Village Rauke following a brief encounter, where he tried to run his vehicle over the police party.
Probe is on identify the intended recipients of this consignment, he added. In this regard, a case FIR No. 302 dated 21-11-2025 has been registered under section 21 of the NDPS Act at Police Station ANTF in SAS Nagar.