Chandigarh [India], September 2 (ANI): Chandigarh Police Crime Branch has busted a foreign-backed interstate narcotics syndicate and arrested three accused, including a notorious gangster involved in eight serious criminal cases, including double murder and the killing of a Naib Tehsildar, said a police statement on Tuesday.

The operation also led to the recovery of 255.86 grams of heroin worth Rs 1.5 crore, a country-made pistol with a live cartridge, and a car.

On August 30, a team headed by ASI Bhupinder Singh apprehended Baljit Singh alias Baba (55), a resident of Batala, Gurdaspur, from Sector 43, Chandigarh.

SP Crime Jasbir Singh said, based on secret information in his possession, police recovered 109.86 grams of heroin and a country-made pistol loaded with one live cartridge. FIR dated August 30 was registered at the Police Station Crime under the NDPS Act and Arms Act.

During interrogation, it was revealed that Baljit Singh was in touch with foreign-based drug smugglers and operating in the Tricity along with accomplices Parvinder Pal Singh alias Midda and Mandeep Singh alias Mandy. Both were later arrested, and additional recoveries of 121 grams and 25 grams of heroin were made from their possession.

Police investigations revealed that Baljit Singh alias Baba was closely associated with US-based drug smugglers Bhupinder and Dalbir, who coordinated supplies through messaging apps and used multiple handlers to avoid direct links between money collection and drug delivery. He was also a key associate of Jasmeet Singh alias Lucky, a narco-gangster arrested in the United States for cross-border smuggling, mentioned the police statement.

Baljit Singh's profile shows a long criminal history dating back to 2000, when he was convicted in a double murder case arising out of a land dispute. Later, while on parole in 2010, he murdered a witness, a Naib Tehsildar named Mintu, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

While lodged in various Punjab jails, he developed strong ties with Jasmeet alias Lucky and continued his involvement in drug trafficking even behind bars. Over the years, multiple cases of rioting, robbery, arms possession, and NDPS Act violations have been registered against him, said the police statement.

Parvinder Pal Singh alias Midda, 41, of Sector 48, Chandigarh, a double postgraduate, was earlier employed in a finance company and also arrested in a rape case in 2022. He came into contact with Baljit Singh and became his associate in the drug trade.

Mandeep Singh alias Mandy, 32, a B.Tech graduate, became addicted to drugs following personal setbacks and gradually turned into a peddler. He has been supplying drugs in the Tricity area for the past one and a half years.

The trio were operating as part of a well-organised interstate network with strong foreign links, smuggling heroin into the Tricity on instructions from handlers abroad. With their arrest, the Chandigarh Police have struck a significant blow to the narco trade in the region.

Further investigations are underway, and more arrests are likely. (ANI)