Chandigarh, Dec 5 (IANS): Three drug smugglers have been arrested with 5 kg heroin from Punjab, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Thursday.

Those arrested have been identified as Husanpreet Singh, a resident of Amritsar, Karandeep Singha, alias Manna, and Maninder Singh, both residents of Attari Mandi in Amritsar.

Apart from recovering heroin, police teams have also seized drug money and impounded the accused's two-wheelers, which they were riding.

DGP Yadav said a team of Punjab Police's Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has received a tip-off that accused Karandeep Singh and Maninder Singh were indulged in the smuggling of heroin and recently retrieved a huge consignment of heroin by Pakistan smugglers that was to be supplied to drug smuggler Husanpreet Singh.

The tip-off further revealed that both the accused were coming to the Amritsar-Attari Road near Punjabi Bagh Palace on a white Honda Activa to deliver this drug consignment to drug smuggler Husanpreet Singh, who was also reaching there on his black Motorcycle Hero Deluxe HF, he said.

The DGP said that acting swiftly, teams from CI Amritsar laid a special checkpoint near Punjabi Bagh Resort on Attari Road and arrested all the accused after recovering heroin consignment and drug money from their possession.

Further investigations were to establish linkages in this case and identify Pakistan-based drug smugglers, he added.

In this regard, a case on December 4 has been registered under Sections 21, 25 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at Police Station State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar.

Due to the recovery of drug money from the accused, the severity of the offence has been enhanced by incorporating Section 27-A of the NDPS Act.