Chandigarh, Oct 9 (IANS): In a major breakthrough against trans-border narcotic smuggling networks amidst the ongoing war against drugs in Punjab, Amritsar Commissionerate Police have arrested three drug smugglers after recovering five kg heroin and Rs 3.95 lakh drug money from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.

Those arrested have been identified as Gurpreet Singh, a resident of village Roranwali in Amritsar; Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, a resident of Roranwali village in Amritsar, and Jota Singh, a resident of Chartewali village in Ajnala in Amritsar district.

DGP Yadav said preliminary investigations have revealed that accused Jota Singh and Harpreet Singh were directly in touch with Pakistan-based drug smugglers, who were using drones to transport drugs across the border.

He said technical leads were developed in a professional investigation and a first information report (FIR) has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Investigations are ongoing to establish backward and forward linkages in this case, he added.

Sharing operation details, Commissioner of Police (Amritsar) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said teams of the police station in Chheharta received input that some people had retrieved a huge consignment of narcotics dropped using a drone from across the border and concealed it at their house in New Ajnala Colony.

Acting swiftly, police teams from Chheharta under the supervision of DCP Abhimanyu Rana and ACP Shivdarshan Singh laid a trap and arrested the accused from a house in New Ajnala Colony in Ajnala.

Apart from recovering heroin and drug money, police teams have also impounded their Maruti Swift car and a motorcycle, he said.

Bhullar said the accused were using their house as a safe haven and for supplying drugs. A probe is on to identify the Pakistan-based drug smuggler and persons to whom the arrested people were to deliver the drug consignment, he said.