CHANDIGARH, Sep 7 : Punjab Police today arrested an alleged drug trafficker saying he was involved in cross-border drug smuggling. Nine kg heroin was recovered from the accused Malkait Singh, police said.
“In a major breakthrough, Jalandhar Rural Police has arrested Big Fish Drug Trafficker Malkait Singh @ Kali and seized 9 Kg Heroin,” Punjab’s Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, posted on X.
“He used to execute cross border drug smuggling along with his associates. FIR under NDPS Act is registered at PS Goraya,” he said.
According to a Punjab Police statement, the DGP said the war against drugs got a major breakthrough after the arrest of Malkiat Singh alias Kali, who sent three swimmers to fetch a consignment of 50 kg heroin from Pakistan recently.
“Police teams have also seized 9 kg heroin— a portion of the 50 kg heroin consignment, from his possession,” the DGP said while adding that 22.5 kg of the heroin had already been recovered by the police taking the total recovery to 31.5 kg.
Malkiat Singh, a resident of village Tendi Wala in Ferozepur, was arrested near Boparai Canal Bridge near Goraya with heroin kept in his shoulder bag, the statement said.
The development came less than a month after Jalandhar Rural Police arrested drug smuggler Joga Singh, who swam into waters part of Pakistan’s jurisdiction to retrieve a heroin consignment. Eight kg heroin was recovered from Joga Singh.
Earlier, the State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar had arrested drug smuggler Shinder Singh after recovering 10 kg heroin and Rs 1.5 lakh from his possession.
Another woman drug smuggler, Amandeep Kaur alias Deep Bhai, linked to the module was also arrested with 1 kg heroin. Shinderpal alias Pappu, another narcotics smuggler, was arrested with 500 grams heroin from Mehatpur, the statement said.
DGP Gaurav Yadav, termed the recovery of this big haul of heroin as a result of vigorous follow-up investigations by the Punjab Police.
Jalandhar Rural’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar said that Malkiat Singh has revealed his contact with a Pakistan-based drug smuggler identified as Haider Ali, who helped him in smuggling the heroin consignments to India in lieu of a hawala operator.
“Malkiat Kali also revealed that he had sent Joga Singh along with two more persons to Pakistan using a riverine route to fetch the 50 kg heroin consignment, which was equally distributed between his party and Joga Singh’s party,” he said.
Further investigations in the matter are underway, and police teams are on a manhunt to arrest the remaining drug smugglers involved in this module, he said.
On Thursday, a fresh case was registered under relevant provisions of the law at Goraya Police Station, police said. (PTI)
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