Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested an Amritsar resident wanted in a cross-border smuggling case in Punjab from an embroidery factory in Ahmedabad’s Rakhial area, officials said.
The suspect, Rehmat Ali, a resident of Bhalla Colony in Amritsar, was wanted by the Punjab Police in a case related to smuggling heroin, hand grenades and firearms across the Punjab–Pakistan border, a Gujarat ATS official said.
According to Gujarat ATS, Ali’s movement from Nepal to Gujarat was tracked following specific intelligence received while monitoring narcotics networks operating across India.
Punjab Police had earlier arrested two other suspects and seized 42.9 kg of heroin, four hand grenades, one Star-marked pistol and 46 live cartridges. Following this, Ali fled the state, crossed into Nepal, moved through Bihar and eventually reached Gujarat, where he began working at an embroidery unit in Ahmedabad, officials said.
“During preliminary questioning, the accused revealed his involvement in a wider narcotics and arms smuggling network. He transported consignments of heroin, hand grenades and pistols from border areas in Punjab in January and delivered them to other individuals in the state,” the ATS official added.
The Gujarat ATS said in a statement that it has informed Punjab Police and initiated legal proceedings to hand him over for further action.
