New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS): On the occasion of the birth anniversary of India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, 15 officers of the Delhi Police Special Cell have been awarded Union Home Minister's Special Operation Medal.

Out of 15 officers, 11 were awarded for their role in ''Operation PAMIR'' in which a team of Special Cell had busted an international drug cartel.

"Operation PAMIR also successfully uncovered a hitherto unknown modus operandi of using the land route from Afghanistan through Iran and then via sea to the ports of western India for narco-smuggling," a police officer said.

The team had recovered a total of 330 kg of heroin valued in the international market around Rs 1,320 crore, and apprehended nine accused persons, including five Afghanistan nationals.

It was the largest-ever heroin haul seized in Delhi's crime history, and the police forces of Delhi, Mumbai and Haryana were taken into confidence, besides convincing their senior formations about the urgency and seriousness of the operation.

Officers awarded in the case are Neeraj Thakur, Special Commissioner of Police/Special cell (then Joint CP/Special Cell), DCP Manishi Chandra, ACP Hridaya Bhushan, Inspector Vinod Kumar, Sub-Inspector Manoj Kumar, Sub-Inspector Sunder Gautam, sub-inspector Yashpal Singh, sub-inspector Amit Kumar, sub-inspector Arvind Singh, sub-inspector Shamsher Singh and assistant sub-inspector Brijpal.

"Four officers including ACP Lalit Mohan Negi, inspector Sunil Kumar Rajain, inspector Ravinder Joshi and sub-inspector Pankaj Singh Chauhan were awarded Union Home Minister's Special Operation Medal for their role in busting of an ISIS-TN module," an officer said.

In December 2019, a group of ISIS terrorists from Tamil Nadu, who killed Hindu Munnani leader KP Suresh Kumar and were on conditional bail, had fled under mysterious circumstances.

This group of terrorists was also involved in the killing of a Special Sub Inspector of Police (SSI) Wilson of Kaliakavilai Police Station in Tamil Nadu. Wilson was on duty at police check point on January 8, 2020, it stated.

In this pan-India operation, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested the kingpin of this ISIS module Khaja Moideen along with his two associates in Delhi after a brief exchange of fire, the statement said.

A total of 39 officers were awarded Union Home Minister's Special Operation Medal, out of which 15 were bagged by the Delhi Police Special Cell.