An alleged interstate drug and arms smuggler wanted by Punjab Police for links to a cross-border drone smuggling network has been apprehended in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, officials said on Tuesday.
The arrest took place during a joint operation carried out early in the morning by the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF), Punjab Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), and the local police.
The accused, Ishanpreet Singh, is a resident of Surta Singh Colony in Amritsar. Police said he had been absconding since escaping a raid conducted at his residence in May. He is facing several cases under the NDPS Act and Arms Act.
Officials said a joint team of the ANTF and the Border Security Force (BSF) had raided Singh's house in Amritsar on May 23. However, he managed to flee by jumping from the rooftop before he could be arrested.
After the raid, police searched the house and recovered 12 illegal pistols, 20 magazines and nearly 900 grams of heroin. The weapons included Beretta pistols, Zigana pistols and Chinese-made firearms.
Investigators believe the drugs and weapons were smuggled into India through drones operating from across the Pakistan border. Since then, Punjab Police and Central agencies had been tracking the accused.
Acting on specific intelligence that Singh was hiding in Udham Singh Nagar, the Uttarakhand STF began surveillance in the area. He was eventually arrested from Keshavnagar in Bazpur.
Following his arrest, Singh was questioned and later handed over to Punjab Police. Officials said further investigation is underway to uncover the larger interstate smuggling network and identify others involved.
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