New Delhi: Delhi Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) dismantled a major cross-border narco-terror syndicate, arresting 10 key members of the cartel and seizing heroin worth over Rs 10 crore in the international market. Police also identified properties worth over Rs 10 crore linked with the accused, which are now under financial investigation.
The crackdown, initiated at the instructions of Union home minister Amit Shah, disrupted the cartel’s operations, dealing a significant blow to narcotics trafficking in Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and other states. The suspects coordinated through PUBG, an online game, and communicated via the Zangi app. The consignments were received through drones, police claimed.
According to Devesh Srivastava, special CP (Crime), the operation was launched after credible information was received about the supply of heroin from Afghanistan and Pakistan. “After an investigation spanning over 50 days and covering four states, the team arrested the key players of the syndicate and seized 1.6kg of top quality heroin besides 130 grams of a hallucinogenic chemical,” Srivastava said. In addition, 16 mobile phones containing incriminating evidence related to cross-border and international syndicates involved in drugs, weapons, and explosive substance supplies were recovered, the officer added.
The investigation revealed that the syndicate operated through a complex network of associates and handlers based in India, Pakistan, the UK and US. The accused used encrypted messaging services and fake IDs to communicate and avoid detection. Some of the key accused arrested include Faheem Farooq, a resident of Srinagar in Kashmir, who was found in possession of 996 grams of heroin, and Shazia Peer, also from J&K and Faheem’s source, who operated a drug trafficking network with associates in Afghanistan, US and the UK.
Parminder Singh alias Harry, a resident of Ludhiana, Punjab, supplied heroin to Farooq. Ravi Sher Singh and Manjinder Singh, who were involved in drug trafficking and had links with notorious narco-terrorist Lakhwinder alias Landa, are also in police custody.
A team comprising ACP Anil Sharma, inspector Pankaj, SI Vikas Deep and Ram Kishan was tasked to gather actionable intelligence, monitor movement patterns, and map key suspects. The team first raided a location in south Delhi, where Farooq was apprehended. Around 1kg of heroin and Rs 1.7 lakh in cash were seized from him. He led the cops to Peer, who lived in Bhogal.
Joint commissioner Surender Kumar revealed, “Peer introduced Farooq to a Punjab-based operator named Harry. Farooq used a special burner phone to contact Harry for supplies. A raid was conducted and Peer was arrested. An iPhone containing incriminating chats and evidence was recovered at her instance. Harry was subsequently arrested.” Peer’s family was also involved in the trade and she communicated with people across the border for drug supplies, police said. Four boys were recruited to supply drugs, each receiving Rs 50,000 and a new phone for every delivery.
Head constable Sanwar was injured when chasing another suspect on the rooftops. He lost his balance in the dark, fell from a height of 20 feet and sustained a fracture of his spinal cord.
More arrests were made in subsequent raids. Ravi, police found, was also an accused in the targeted killing ordered by Lakhbir Landa from Pakistan. The cops have also identified three of the conduits based in the UK, US and Pakistan. Lookout circulars have been issued to locate them, sources said. The involvement of hawala operators in facilitating the illicit financial transactions was uncovered during the investigation.
During the raids, the police team also went undercover, adopting various disguises to blend in with their surroundings. In one instance, policemen went in the guise of labourers in paddy fields in Amritsar to gather intelligence on Salwinder Gora. In another, the team posed as bank employees in Ludhiana to arrest Harry. The operation also involved joint interrogation with other agencies, including the Anti-Narcotics Task Force of Punjab and state police.