Six people, including an Afghan national, have been arrested. (Representational)
Punjab's Special Task Force busted a major narco-terror racket on Thursday night, seizing nearly 195 kilograms of heroin-worth about Rs 2,000 crore-from a house in Amritsar. Six people, including an Afghan national, have been arrested.
"The police raided the house in Amritsar's Sultanwind village on Thursday and recovered heroin along with other contraband," Special Task Force chief Harpreet Sidhu was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. An illegal lab had been set up inside the house where drugs were being mixed and prepared, he added.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh with the police on Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said that the house where the raid took place belonged to Anwar Masih, who was a member of the Subordinate Services Board (SSB) - an appointee of the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government. He added that those involved in the racket, irrespective of their political affiliations, will not be spared.
Mr Singh said investigation suggests that the drug network was linked to Simranjit Singh Sandhu, one of the biggest drug smugglers in India, who was recently detained in Italy after an Interpol notice from Gujarat.
The seizure of drugs, Mr Singh said, appeared to be a part of a drug consignment that arrived in Mandavi in Gujarat last year, most of which was smuggled into Punjab. The consignment was traced back to Simranjit Singh Sandhu.
The cops are investigating the role of Anwar Masih, who claims to have rented out the house to the accused. The police said he had failed to produce any written rent agreement and neighbours were also unaware of any tenants living there. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the accused had been using the premises for a month
Mr Singh said his government will not allow drug smugglers and narcoterrorists to operate in the state, which he said has witnessed massive decline in the number of deaths due to drug abuse. He added that the government would not give up the fight against drugs till the problem is rooted out completely.
(With inputs from PTI)