Four arrested in J&K cross-border arms and drug smuggling case
Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested four suspects, including one from Punjab, in connection with cross-border smuggling of drugs and arms via drones in the border village of Arnia in Jammu district. An Italy-made Beretta pistol, two magazines, four live rounds, and over 1kg of narcotics were seized during searches, police said Tuesday.
On October 3, police manning a checkpoint at Arnia's Tamala Bridge stopped two men on a bike at 10:45pm. Rahul Kumar was found carrying 264g of suspected heroin, a Beretta pistol, two magazines and four live rounds. A second man, Ajay Kumar Talhar, was seized with 276g of suspected heroin. Both are residents of Arnia. During questioning, the accused confessed links with Pakistan-based handlers and admitted to receiving two air-dropped consignments previously. A third suspect, also named Ajay Kumar, was arrested with 464g of opium resin and 13.3g of heroin. Further investigation revealed involvement of a fourth suspect, Jaganpreet Randhawa alias Jaggi, arrested in Punjab and believed to be a forward link in the smuggling nexus.
Arnia Police Station registered an FIR under relevant sections of the NDPS and Arms Acts. Officials said further investigation was underway. Similar cases have been reported from forward areas along the Indo-Pak international border and Line of Control in J&K, with probes later handed to NIA due to contraband magnitude.
