Jaipur, Aug 4 (IANS) A major cross-border narcotics and arms smuggling racket, with links extending from a Punjab prison to Dubai, Pakistan and Afghanistan, has been exposed following the seizure of Afghan heroin and foreign-made weapons worth nearly Rs 50 crore near the India-Pakistan border in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district.
The breakthrough came after Bikaner Police recovered 10.999 kg of Afghan heroin, 11 foreign-made pistols, 22 magazines, and 100 live cartridges that were allegedly dropped by a drone near the Khajuwala international border.
The consignment was seized following the arrest of Virendra Singh Rajpurohit, a resident of Pali district. During interrogation, investigators discovered that the entire operation was allegedly being run by Vicky alias Vikram, who is currently lodged in a Punjab jail.
According to police, Vicky maintained direct contact with handlers in Pakistan, while payments for the heroin consignment were routed through a hawala network operated by his associates in Dubai before reaching Pakistan.
The investigation is now being jointly pursued by the Bikaner Police, Punjab Police and central security agencies, which are attempting to trace the full extent of the international network spanning Pakistan, Afghanistan and Dubai.
Inspector General of Police Om Prakash and Bikaner Superintendent of Police Mridul Kachhwa said investigators are now tracking the hawala transactions used to finance the smuggling operation.
Director General of Police Rajiv Kumar Sharma said coordinated efforts are underway with central agencies and the Punjab Police to identify every link in the cross-border syndicate.
Investigators have also uncovered an organised network of couriers operating across Rajasthan and Punjab. Police said unemployed and financially vulnerable youth were allegedly recruited with the promise of quick money and assigned the task of collecting drugs and weapons from the border before transporting them to designated destinations.
The arrested accused, Virendra Singh, allegedly received Rs 50,000 for delivering one such consignment.
The investigation has also been linked to a heroin seizure made in April in the Pogal police station area of Bikaner, where 14 kg of heroin was recovered from a scooter after a road accident. In that case, Rahul Rawat and Prashant, both residents of Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, have been arrested, while the alleged kingpin Rakesh Prajapat remains absconding.
Police have constituted seven special teams to trace Prajapat and other members of the syndicate. Preliminary investigations suggest the smuggling network has an active presence in Jodhpur, Nagaur and Pali districts with around 20-25 members.
Police are coordinating with district police chiefs across Rajasthan to dismantle the entire network and identify all those involved in facilitating the movement of narcotics and weapons.
–IANS
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