Punjab Police and BSF Smash Pak-Linked Drug Network, Seize 24.5 kg Heroin and Drone Used for Cross-Border Drops
Three masterminds arrested from Amritsar as forensic analysis of smuggling drone leads investigators to second major heroin cache — accused had splurged drug money on luxury properties and cars
Punjab Police’s Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF), has dismantled a Pakistan-backed cross-border drug smuggling module, arresting three key operatives and recovering 24.5 kg of heroin, ₹21 lakh in drug money, a multi-copter drone, and two vehicles including a Mahindra Thar SUV.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav announced the breakthrough on Sunday, describing it as a significant strike against cross-border narcotics trafficking in line with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s ongoing drive to make Punjab drug-free.
The three accused — Jagjit Singh alias Rana, Manpreet Singh alias Preet, and Roshan Singh — are all residents of villages in Amritsar district and have been found to have direct links with Pakistan-based handlers, preliminary investigations have revealed.
A Two-Stage Operation Guided by Forensic Intelligence
Superintendent of Police (SP) ANTF Gurpreet Singh outlined how the operation unfolded in two distinct phases. In the first stage, 12.1 kg of heroin along with the multi-copter drone — used by Pak-based smugglers to airdrop consignments across the border — was recovered. Rather than stopping there, investigators subjected the seized drone to rigorous forensic analysis, extracting technical data including latitude-longitude coordinates and conducting tower dump analysis. That painstaking work paid off, leading teams directly to the residence of accused Manpreet Singh, where a further 12.4 kg of heroin was found, bringing the total haul to 24.5 kg.
The drone recovered in the operation points squarely to the increasingly technology-driven methods being employed by cross-border smuggling networks to evade detection along the India-Pakistan border.
Accused Lived Large on Drug Money
SP Gurpreet Singh noted that prime accused Jagjit Rana had been living a conspicuously lavish lifestyle funded by narcotics proceeds. Rana had recently acquired properties in upscale localities and had a known fondness for cars — one of several financial leads investigators are now pursuing to map the full extent of the network’s assets and reach.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that further investigation is actively ongoing to establish both forward and backward linkages in the case, with more arrests and recoveries expected as the probe deepens.
A case has been registered as FIR No. 43, dated March 2, 2026, under Sections 21(c) and 23 of the NDPS Act and Sections 25, 26, and 29 of the Aircraft Act at Police Station ANTF SAS Nagar.
