International drug cartels cracked in Punjab; Heroin worth crores seized

Amritsar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar announced the arrest of six main drug smugglers and the seizure of over 4.5 kg of heroin. The police also busted a hawala cartel backing the drug network, recovering Rs 8.70 lakh in hawala money. The accused include Malkit Singh, Karandeep Karn, Jaspreet, Arshdeep (operating from jail), Gurmeet Gitu, and Rajinderpal Nikka. Investigation revealed links to smugglers in Pakistan, who act as a central control point.
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News18

an hour ago

• News18

'Wake-Up Call': Rs 16 Crore Smuggling Network Busted At Mumbai Airport, 2 Staffers Arrested

Last Updated: On June 22, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit arrested two airport staffers who were found smuggling 24KT gold dust — coated in wax and stuffed inside socks in uniform pockets. In back-to-back busts within just 48 hours, Mumbai Customs Zone III has exposed a dark underbelly of smuggling operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport — uncovering nearly Rs 16 crore worth of illegal drugs and gold. On June 21, acting on specific intelligence, two Indian nationals arriving from Bangkok were intercepted. A thorough baggage check revealed 11.881 kg of high-grade hydroponic marijuana, cleverly vacuum-sealed and hidden inside pillow covers in their trolley bags. With an illicit value of Rs 11.88 crore, the bust is among the city's biggest drug seizures this year. Both passengers were arrested under the NDPS Act, and investigations are underway to trace the international network they were working for. Just a day later, on June 22, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit arrested two airport staffers who were found smuggling 24KT gold dust — coated in wax and stuffed inside socks concealed in their uniform pockets. The seizure, weighing 4.44 kilograms and valued at Rs 4.24 crore, exposed a worrying trend of insider involvement in organised gold smuggling. The two individuals were booked under the Customs Act, 1962. Authorities are now widening their probe into possible collusion between internal staff and gold smuggling syndicates operating across international routes. These twin operations have shaken the airport's security grid and reinforced the urgency of tightening internal surveillance mechanisms. Customs officials said these seizures underscore a larger challenge — smugglers are not only getting creative with concealment but also infiltrating from within. 'This is a wake-up call. Whether it's narcotics in tourist luggage or gold in staff uniforms, our teams are alert and acting without hesitation," a senior Customs official told News18. Further investigations are in progress to map out the criminal networks behind both high-stakes operations. First Published:

Time of India

an hour ago

• Time of India

32 Nepal youngsters held captive in Uttarakhand rescued: Victims lured with job promises, forced into sales work; embassy, NGO, police bust human trafficking racket

DEHRADUN: Thirty-two Nepali nationals, including three minors, were rescued on Thursday from a house in Udham Singh Nagar (US Nagar) district, where they were allegedly held captive for around four months after being lured to India with promises of lucrative jobs. The joint operation was conducted by the Nepal embassy, Uttarakhand Police, and NGO, KIN India. Three men, including a Nepali citizen, Birendra Shahi, 21, have been arrested. In a post on X, the official handle of the Nepal embassy in India on Saturday said the rescued individuals will be repatriated after the legal process is completed. Efforts on to rescue 35 more Nepal nationals from Rudrapur US Nagar SSP Manikant Mishra told TOI on Sunday that police were alerted by an embassy official on Thursday. "Acting on the input, police along with the NGO representatives raided the house of Maharaj Singh in Kashipur, where 32 people, including three boys aged around 14-15, were found," Mishra said. He said that the victims were from poor families in Nepal and had been brought to India by Shahi on the promise of jobs. "He had taken Rs 10,000 to 30,000 from each of them. But once in Kashipur, he and his associates, Sachin Kumar, 28, of Ghazipur, and Manish Tiwari, 29, of Rudrapur, confined and assaulted them. They were forced to sell daily-use products for a Delhi-based firm, to which the collected money was transferred. " A case was registered against the trio on Thursday under multiple BNS sections, including 127(4) (wrongful confinement), 137(2) (kidnapping), and 111(2) (organised crime). All three were arrested on Friday and sent to jail after being produced in court. Naveen Joshi, a representative of KIN India, added that a second operation was underway on Sunday to rescue around 35 more Nepali nationals held in Rudrapur.

NDTV

an hour ago

• NDTV

Case Filed Against Jeweller For Cheating Gold Supplier Of Rs 93.5 lakh

Thane: Police have registered a case against a jeweller for allegedly cheating a gold ornaments supplier of Rs 93.5 lakh in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Monday. The accused, who has a shop at Khardi in Shahapur area, purchased 950 gms of gold jewellery from the supplier over the last three years. Despite several reminders, the accused failed to pay Rs 93.5 lakh to the supplier for the purchases, the official from Bazarpeth police station in Kalyan said. Based on the victim's complaint, the police on Sunday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the accused under sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 318(4) (cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he said.