Airport security official nabbed with 7 kg heroin
Saturday, 17/08/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130817/punjab.htm#4
Amritsar : The state's Special Operations Cell, a counter-intelligence wing of the Punjab Police, arrested an assistant security officer at Guru Ram Dass International Airport, Amritsar, and two others after it found 14 kg of heroin, worth Rs 70 crore in the international market, in their possession.
Simratpal Singh was nabbed with 7 kg of heroin following a tipoff. The remaining contraband was confiscated from his two accomplices, both cross-border smugglers identified as Hargobind Singh of Ranjit Vihar, Loharka road, and Surjit Singh of Preet Vihar.
Both had fled following a raid at the plush Ranjit Avenue market but were nabbed in Taragarh, Pathankot, after a long chase.
Policemen opened fire at the fleeing smugglers as they tried to mow them down under their car (DL1C-AN-0101). An alert was sounded at Amritsar, Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot. They were finally nabbed in Taragarh area.
Two cases of seizure of heroin from Amritsar and Pathankot have been registered under Sections 21/24/29/61/85 of the NDPS act. Police sources said Hargobind alias Sodhi and Surjit Singh alias Baba, who had been earlier convicted under the NDPS Act, had served a sentence of nine years and five years, respectively.
The arrest of officer Simratpal has raised a question mark on the security arrangements at the Amritsar airport. It is believed that he helped smuggle narcotics to America and to European countries. Police sources said he was on duty at the scanning unit.
The accused are in police remand for further investigation on the source of the contraband.
Meanwhile, alert BSF jawans seized about 1 kg of heroin worth Rs 5 crore from a smuggler at the border outpost of Rajatal in Amritsar sector.
