In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a drug-free state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Amritsar Commissionerate Police has dismantled a cross-border drug smuggling cartel with the arrest of six individuals including two juveniles and recovered 30.045 kg of heroin from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Thursday.
Those arrested have been identified as Gautam (24), a resident of Fateh Singh Colony in Amritsar; Kabir alias Kaku (22), a resident of Chheharta in Amritsar; Sameer alias Sabarwal (18), a resident of Amritsar; Gurpreet Singh alias Keeda (18), a resident of Orchid Valley in Amritsar and two juveniles. Arrested accused Kabir alias Kaku has a criminal background and was previously involved in an NDPS case registered at Police Station Chheharta.
Apart from recovering drug consignment, police teams have also recovered their motorcycle, which they were using for smuggling of narcotics. DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused were linked to a Dubai-based smuggler who was facilitating the supply of heroin consignments from across the border.
Acting on his directions, the accused were retrieving the consignments from designated locations and further distributing them to various recipients across Punjab, he said. The DGP said that further investigation is underway to establish backward and forward linkages in this case to identify other associates involved in the network and trace the financial trail to uncover possible hawala connections.
Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP) Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on specific intelligence, police teams apprehended accused Gautam along with his two juveniles accomplices and recovered 30.045 kg heroin from their possession. On the disclosure of accused Gautam, three more accused persons identified as Kabir alias Kaku, Sameer alias Sabarwal and Gurpreet Singh alias Keeda were arrested, he said.
The CP said that probe has revealed that the Dubai-based smuggler is the mastermind of this drug trafficking module and has been wanted in three major NDPS cases including in 42 kg heroin recovery case and 10 kg ICE recovery case. Operating from Dubai, he was luring young individuals, including juveniles, with monetary incentives and using them to retrieve, transport and distribute drug consignments on his behalf, he added.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 122 dated 03.06.2026 under sections 21-C, 25 and 29 of the NDPS Act has been registered at Police Station Chheharta in Amritsar.