Navi Mumbai: In a major crackdown on interstate narcotics trafficking, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the city police Crime Branch has dismantled a drug smuggling network linked to Punjab. After a dramatic high-speed chase stretching from Nashik to Pune, police arrested three accused and seized heroin along with a sophisticated Austrian-made Glock pistol. The total value of the recovered contraband and assets is estimated at Rs 1.03 crore.

The operation was launched during the investigation of a case registered at Taloja Police Station. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the ANC learned that two suspects, identified as Baljeet Singh and Gopi, were transporting drugs from Punjab through Madhya Pradesh in a heavy-duty trailer. Based on this information, police teams set up a strategic surveillance and interception plan.

Officers began tracking the suspects’ vehicle from Nashik and followed it discreetly for several kilometres. The pursuit eventually ended in the Chakan MIDC area near Nigoje village in Pimpri-Chinchwad, where police successfully intercepted the trailer and detained the suspects after the long chase.

The arrested accused have been identified as Baljeet Singh, Savinder Singh alias Monu, Gurupratap Singh, Sharanjit Singh alias Gopi, and Karamjit Singh Nindar Singh, who was driving the trailer. All the accused are residents of Amritsar in Punjab.

During the operation, police seized 82.6 grams of high-purity heroin worth approximately Rs 41.30 lakh. Officers also recovered one Austrian-made Glock pistol, two magazines, and four live rounds valued at around Rs 10.5 lakh. In addition, the trailer used for transportation, worth about Rs 50 lakh, along with four mobile phones and a weighing scale, was confiscated.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the heroin was allegedly smuggled into Punjab from across the Pakistan border using drones. From there, the drugs were transported and distributed across different parts of India through road and rail networks.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Dharmpal Bansode said, "Under the Drug-Free India 2028 initiative, we have intensified our crackdown. So far, six cases have been registered against this Punjab-Maharashtra module, leading to 40 arrests and the seizure of assets worth over Rs 6 crore."