Kapurthala: The Kapurthala police have arrested four drug smugglers, including a woman, and recovered 16.8 kg of heroin from their possession. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that the accused were part of a Pakistan-backed narcotics module.“Preliminary investigations have revealed that drug trafficking was being orchestrated at the behest of Pakistan and Dubai-based handlers. The consignment was brought from Amritsar border area and was intended for delivery in Chandigarh,” he said. Those arrested have been identified as Balwinder Singh of Pandori Mohalla in Sultanpur Lodhi; Sumanpreet Kaur of Gohalwar in Amritsar; Harpal Singh and Jaskaranbir Singh, both residents of Dauke village in Amritsar. Apart from recovering the heroin haul, police teams have also impounded a car, in which the accused were travelling.The DGP said that further investigation was under way to establish forward and backward linkages in this case to unearth the entire network. Sharing operational details, Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora said acting on a tip off, a strategic trap was laid by the police. “When the police intercepted the suspects’ car, the accused attempted to run over the police party in order to escape. After a high-speed chase, the police had to fire rounds at the vehicle’s tyres to bring it to a halt. A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 16.8 kg heroin,” he said.
