Punjab Cops Find ISI Link In Cross-Border Drone Delivery Of Explosives

The Counter-Intelligence wing of Punjab Police has busted a massive smuggling racket involving an agent from Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), who had delivered huge consignments of narcotics, explosives, arms and ammunitions to India over the last several months using drones. An ISI-operated terror module has also been busted in the state.

According to Punjab Police, the agent, identified as Asif Dongar, is a resident of Karachi. He used to work from the ISI's operations headquarters in Karachi and report directly to top ISI officials.

Punjab Police said information about a drug smuggler lodged in Punjab's Goindwal Jail led to the busting of the smuggling racket run by ISI. The inmate named Jaskaran Singh used to smuggle drugs into Goindwal Jail with the help of Dongar. Jaskaran and his accomplice Ratanbir Singh were arrested.

Police said Jaskaran was in regular touch with Dongar in Pakistan for a long time through WhatsApp calls, using a phone from inside the jail. Along with drug smuggling, Jaskaran was also coordinating with Dongar to conduct terror strikes within India.

Punjab Police said Dongar had sent 40 big consignments of drugs, RDX explosives, hand grenades and ammunition into India over the last seven months, using Chinese-made drones. Each drone was used to smuggle around 4-5kg of explosives into India from Pakistan. Police said the mobile phone seized from Jaskaran will help further establish ISI's involvement in planning terror activities in India.

Along with Jaskaran, three other persons, Surinder Singh, Herchand Singh and Gursahib Singh, were also arrested.

Gaurav Yadav, Director General of Punjab Police, said all four were part of a terror module operating from Punjab, with cross-border assistance from ISI. Rs 1.01 crore in cash, 500gm heroine, 17 pistols, an MP4 rifle and 400 live cartridges were recovered from the arrested persons. Currency counting machines were also seized from their possession.

Amarjit Singh Bajwa, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Counter-Intelligence, Amritsar, said that during interrogation, Jaskaran had confessed that he was in contact with a Pakistani smuggler named Asif, who used to transport consignments of narcotics and weapons from Pakistan to India by drone. On Jaskaran's instructions, Ratanbir used to collect the consignments and deliver them to Herchand and Gursahib.