Pakistan-backed drug syndicate busted; kingpin among 9 held in Chandigarh

Acting on a tip-off, a team from the Crime Branch Police Station launched a targeted operation on April 14.

During the initial raid, two drug peddlers, Balkar Singh and Navneet Kaur, were apprehended with 35.17 grams of heroin, leading to the registration of an FIR under the NDPS Act.

Further investigations and disclosures by the arrested individuals led to a series of coordinated raids across Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.

Police said that Gurmeet Singh, who is from Jalalabad, Punjab, was found to be in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers Riyaz Sarvar and Aabid Ali from the Kasur area of Pakistan, and was facilitated initially by notorious drug peddler Mahinder Singh.

During the probe, the police learnt that over a span of five years, the syndicate is suspected to have smuggled more than 100 kilograms of heroin into India, using sophisticated methods such as 4-inch pipes to push the contraband through the border fencing under the cover of fog and weather disturbances.

According to the police, among the arrested accused, Balkar Singh, 42, a resident of Sadar Fazilka, was supplying heroin in the Tricity area along with his associate Navneet Kaur (28).

Balkar, who had previously served jail time in a rape case, used his network of local customers to distribute heroin procured from Navneet’s maternal uncle, Satnam Singh.

Navneet, a BTech graduate from Mohali, was unemployed and involved in procuring heroin through family links and distributing it with Balkar’s help, police claimed. Both are currently in judicial custody.

The UT police further said that Chamkor Singh, 30, played a key role in aiding cross-border smuggling operations.

He, along with Gurmeet, Chotu, and Gurjant, conducted reconnaissance along the Pakistan border and helped smuggle 18 kilograms of heroin, which he also hid at his residence. He provided supplies to his sister Navneet for distribution within the Tricity, police said.

Gurmeet, 33, has been identified by the police as the mastermind of the syndicate. With two prior cases under the NDPS Act registered against him, Gurmeet had been in direct and longstanding contact with Pakistan-based smuggler Riyaz Sarvar, even maintaining connections over Facebook.

He orchestrated the cross-border smuggling operations, managed logistics, and distributed large consignments of heroin to peddlers across India, according to the police.

At the time of his arrest, police recovered 51.53 grams of heroin, two Ertiga cars, and an electric scooter from his possession.

Kuldeep Singh, 30, and Gurmeet’s younger brother, supported the syndicate by facilitating the movement of heroin packets to associates of Sarvar, police claimed.

He was apprehended with 26.02 grams of heroin and Rs 12,000 in drug money.

Notably, Kuldeep was previously arrested in a rape case.

The Chandigarh Police also revealed that another arrest was of Satnam Singh, 60, the father of Gurmeet, who has a long history in drug smuggling operations and has been actively involved with Pakistan-based networks for years.

He played a crucial role in smuggling a 70-kilogram consignment of heroin in 2019 in partnership with drug peddler Mahinder Singh and continued aiding cross-border operations with his son and other associates.

Sona, alias Chotu, a 25-year-old resident of Jalalabad, was another key member of the network.

He provided crucial support in smuggling operations across the Pakistan border and Rs 5 lakh in drug proceeds were recovered from him at the time of arrest, police claimed.