2 accused shot at during drug and weapon recovery ops in four days: Amritsar police

Bhullar said Lucky employed Nirmal to distribute the consignments.

Amritsar | August 13, 2025 09:44 IST

A similar encounter was reported on August 9. (Source: File/Representational)

One of the two drug trafficking suspects arrested earlier was shot in his leg as a police team thwarted his bid to flee the scene during a drug recovery operation in Amritsar, while in a separate incident, an accused in recent pro-Khalistan graffiti incidents was injured in an encounter during a weapon recovery operation on Saturday, police said Tuesday.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, “Amritsar police have achieved good success in the campaign against drugs. We have recovered more
than 3 kg of heroin and caught two main smugglers. They have been identified as Lucky, a Bhalla Colony resident, and Nirmal Singh from Kala village. However, their third partner Manik is absconding.”

“During the interrogation, Lucky said that he had hidden some heroin. Today, when we brought him to Guru Ki Wadali for the recovery, he tried to escape by snatching the service gun of ASI Jaibeer and firing at the police party. During this, our team asked him to surrender, but he again opened fire at the police team, prompting the police to fire in self-defence. He suffered an injury and was admitted to the hospital. Further investigation into the case is going on,” Bhullar said.

Bhullar said Lucky employed Nirmal to distribute the consignments.

Police said Lucky had visited Dubai in 2024, where he allegedly came into contact with Pakistani traffickers. On returning to Punjab, he shot and injured a person in the Makboolpura area and later began receiving large heroin consignments from Pakistan, sometimes as much as 30 kg at a time, police said.

A similar encounter was reported on August 9.

Jashanpreet Singh, a resident of Dargabad village in Batala and an accused in recent pro-Khalistan graffiti incidents in Amritsar, was injured in an
alleged police encounter during a weapon recovery operation on Saturday.

Police said Jashanpreet and a minor boy were earlier arrested in connection with graffiti found at several locations in Amritsar on the intervening night of August 7 and 8.

Police said the accused were allegedly backed by foreign handlers, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, chief of the banned organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).

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“Acting on his disclosure, a police team took the accused into custody for the recovery of a Glock 9mm pistol. During the process, he opened fire at
the police with the recovered weapon. Police fired a warning shot, but the accused again targeted the team. In self-defence, police returned fire, injuring him in the leg,” a police officer said.

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