Two hawala operators held in Punjab, Rs 17,60,000 cash linked to drug trafficking seized

Chandigarh, March 16 (IANS) In a major crackdown on drug networks, Amritsar Rural Police apprehended two hawala operators -- Sukhjit Singh and Ranbir Singh, who were facilitating illegal financial transactions linked to drug trafficking with seizure of Rs 17,60,000 cash and $4,000, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday.

These arrests followed the ongoing investigation into the 561 gm heroin seizure by the police station in Gharinda in the Amritsar district. The accused exposed their links to hawala financing and other drug supply chains.

Besides recovering Rs 17,60,000 cash and $4,000, a laptop with critical transaction records was also recovered, DGP Yadav wrote on X.

“The police is systematically dismantling the drug ecosystem -- targeting traffickers, their financiers, and enablers. Anyone involved in this dirty trade will face severe consequences,” he added.

Last week, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the ongoing ‘War Against Drugs’ campaign has got encouraging results with the seizure of over 81 kg of heroin, more than 51 kg of opium, and Rs 60 lakh in cash in 13 days.

A total of 1,259 first information reports (FIRs) have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), and 1,759 drug traffickers have been arrested till March 13.

Additionally, around 7.5 lakh intoxicating tablets and 970 kg of poppy husk, along with other synthetic drugs, have been seized by the police, he had said.

Also, the properties of 29 people associated with drug trafficking have been demolished.

Cheema had said these individuals had amassed crores of rupees in illegal assets through smuggling. He said the AAP government is committed to eradicating drugs from Punjab. The police are working around the clock and taking action against drug traffickers.

He had said that no one involved in drugs would be spared, and in the coming days, all such individuals would be behind bars.

Cheema had said that, unlike previous governments that protected drug traffickers, the AAP government is taking strict action against them. He accused the previous Akali-BJP and Congress governments of conspiring to trap the youth in drug addiction under a well-thought plan.

He had said a Cabinet sub-committee of five ministers, led by him, has been working to properly execute this campaign.

Last week, the district administration of Amritsar demolished the house of notorious drug smuggler Ajay Kumar Billi. Five cases have been registered against Ajay Kumar in different police stations, including a case under the NDPS Act.

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