Former BSF official nabbed with heroin near Amritsar

AMRITSAR - In a major success for the special narcotics cell of the Punjab police in busting the drugs cartel in border areas of Punjab, a dismissed official of the Border Security Force (BSF) was nabbed Wednesday with one kg of heroin.

BSF’s former deputy commandant Harpreet Singh was arrested by the cell after one kg of heroin, worth Rs. 5 crore in the international market, was recovered from his possession near Amritsar.

Officials said that Harpreet Singh, who was posted in Gurdaspur sector of Punjab’s international border with Pakistan, had been arrested earlier in 2005 when several kilograms of heroin was found from his jeep. His driver was also arrested at that time.

Harpreet Singh had been released from prison only in September last year and was again found indulging in the drugs trade.

Narcotics cell officials said that Harpreet Singh still had links with the drugs cartel in Pakistan and had indulged in the same narcotics trade again.

BSF’s Punjab frontier Deputy Inspector general (DIG) Jagir Singh said that Harpreet Singh was no longer serving with the BSF.

Jagir Singh told IANS: “He (Harpreet) is no longer with the BSF. He was dismissed from service in 2005 when he was arrested with drugs.”