3 drug smugglers held in Punjab for 72-kg heroin seizure from Navi Mumbai port

Three suspected drug smugglers have been arrested in Punjab's Gurdaspur district in connection with the seizure of 72.5 kg of heroin worth Rs 362 crore from a port in Navi Mumbai four months ago, police said on Thursday.

Acting on inputs, the Gurdaspur police launched a special operation on Wednesday evening and arrested the suspects after intercepting an SUV at the Amritsar-Jammu highway in Dhariwal, around 60 km northeast of Amritsar.

Gurwinder Singh, 27; Gursewak Singh, 25; and Manjit Singh were actively involved in a high-level transborder and interstate drug smuggling in Punjab, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said in Chandigarh.

Police recovered a revolver along with six live cartridges of 9mm and six live cartridges of .32 bore from them, Yadav said.

At least 168 packets stuffed with the drug were found concealed in the door of a shipping container at the Nhava Sheva port in a joint operation by the Punjab Police and the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) in July.

During investigation, the Mumbai ATS had named the three as they were recipients of the container and went to Delhi to clear the consignment.

Earlier in Delhi, the Mumbai ATS had managed to arrest Harsimran Sethi, who ordered the consignment, and his aide, Mohinder Singh Rathore, who was working as a clearing agent.

Gurdaspur senior superintendent of police Deepak Hilori said Gurwinder and Manjit were also wanted by the Amritsar Rural Police in an attempt to murder case, in which they fired at the police team in October 2020.

Investigations are on to unravel this network of drug smuggling in Punjab and other states, police said.