Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 20

The Punjab Police have arrested an Army soldier and three others for their involvement in illegal arms and drug smuggling. The racket was busted last week in which a BSF jawan and three others were nabbed by the Jalandhar (Rural) police.

Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said Ramandeep Singh, who is a soldier, was apprehended from Bareilly in UP, on the basis of disclosures made by BSF Constable Sumit Kumar.

He said three aides of Ramandeep, including Taranjot Singh alias Tanna, Jagjit Singh alias Laddi and Satinder Singh alias Kala would be brought on production warrants. Around Rs 10 lakh has been recovered from Kala thus taking the total amount seized to Rs 42.30 lakh.

Gupta said Sumit had revealed during interrogation that Ramandeep lured him into peddling. The duo was lodged together in Gurdaspur jail after murdering a person.

Gupta said Kala was lodged in Amritsar jail for sometime where he had come in contact of Maulvi alias Mulla, a Pakistani national, who had introduced him to smugglers. He said Kala was shifted to Kapurthala jail where he befriended Tanna.

The DGP said Sumit used to send photographs of fencing and drug-delivery locations to Tanna and Kala. After delivery of the consignment at a pre-determined spot, his accomplices used to collect it and Laddi used to provide his car to transport the contraband. “The accused have smuggled 42 packets of heroin and a 9 mm pistol (with 80 live rounds and two live rounds of .12 bore gun),” the DGP said.

He said out of Rs 39 lakh received as drug proceeds from Pakistan-based smugglers, Rs 32.30 lakh was to be distributed between Sumit and Ramandeep.