Punjab Police chief claims arrested smuggler admits to smuggling 500 kg heroin from Pakistan

Chandigarh, May 8 (PTI) The Punjab Police claimed on Saturday that a suspected drug smuggler arrested from Jharkhand last month has admitted to smuggling over 500 kg of heroin from Pakistan in the last two-and-a-half years.

Gavi Singh alias Vijay had close links with drug smugglers of Pakistan and was nabbed from Jharkhand by a joint team of the Punjab Police and Jharkhand Police on April 26.

Punjab Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta on Saturday said that during interrogation Gavi has revealed that he had smuggled over 500 kg of heroin, along with weapons, from Pakistan and supplied into Punjab, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir over the last two-and-a-half years, according to an official release.

Gavi has shared that there was a thriving smuggling infrastructure on the Indo-Pak border and many Pakistan-based smugglers were actively involved in smuggling and induction of weapons and drugs into India, the police said.

He is also learnt to have made a large number of financial transactions with individuals and entities based in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan through 'hawala' route as well as through import/export companies based in New Delhi, which would require further probe, said the police.

"Gavi also admitted to having acquired a forged Indian passport from a travel agent on fake particulars and was planning to settle in Portugal,” said Gupta.

His disclosures also led to the arrest of his five accomplices, the police said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Karanbir Singh, Harmanjit Singh, Gurjaspreet Singh and Rawinder Iqbal Singh, all residents of Tarn Taran district, and Samuel alias Sam of Ferozepur.

All the accused persons have been facing several criminal cases across different districts of Punjab, said the police.

The DGP said the police have recovered 1.25 kg heroin from Gavi's rented flat located at Kharar in Mohali, besides seizing three pistols -- one .30 calibre Chinese pistol and two .32 calibre pistols -- and 23 live cartridges from his hideouts.

Three vehicles which were being used for drug smuggling have also been recovered, he added.

Samuel, a close aide of Gavi, is learnt to have handled the distribution of heroin smuggled from Pakistan, he added.

The DGP said bank accounts and properties of Gavi have been identified and shared with relevant agencies for further action.

Other associates of Gavi have also been identified and the Punjab Police has launched a manhunt to nab them, he added. PTI CHS VSD SMN SMN