Punjab Police bust cross-border drug and arms racket in Batala, 3 held with 6.5 kg heroin

Punjab Police have busted a cross-border drug and illegal arms smuggling racket in Batala and arrested three persons, including a juvenile, recovering a large consignment of narcotics, a firearm and cash suspected to be drug proceeds.

Officials said police seized 6.5 kg of heroin , a .30 calibre pistol , six live cartridges , and Rs 1 lakh in suspected drug money from the accused. The police also impounded a Toyota Fortuner SUV allegedly used in the smuggling operation, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said.

The arrested individuals were identified as Nishan Singh of Mulianwal in Batala , Ravipal Singh of Raipur , and a juvenile. The breakthrough came during the investigation of an extortion-related firing incident on March 30 under the jurisdiction of the Civil Lines police station in Batala. Earlier, two suspects, Vansh and Sukhchain alias Jashan , had been arrested in the case and two illegal pistols were recovered from them.

During interrogation, the earlier arrested suspects revealed details about a broader network involved in trafficking drugs and weapons. Based on their disclosures, police arrested Ravipal Singh and the juvenile, who allegedly helped coordinate the smuggling of narcotics and illegal firearms for the network.

Investigators later found that the accused were acting on instructions from a foreign-based handler , supplying both drugs and weapons to operatives in the region. Acting on fresh intelligence, police teams intercepted Nishan Singh near Kamla Devi Avenue in Amritsar , where they recovered the heroin consignment, the weapon, ammunition and cash from his vehicle.

Senior Superintendent of Police Mehtab Singh said the operation exposed a nexus between drug trafficking, extortion and illegal arms supply , highlighting how criminal networks use multiple channels to sustain their activities.

A case has been registered at the Civil Lines Police Station in Batala under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act , police said. Officials added that further investigation is underway to identify additional accomplices, track the overseas handler and dismantle the entire cross-border smuggling network.