The Punjab Police on Sunday claimed to have busted an international drugs smuggling racket with the arrest of four persons, including a Canadian national of Indian-origin.
A senior police officer said that the gang was using the courier services route to smuggle drugs abroad. The drugs were being hidden in traditional kadhais being couriered to Canada.
The module was involved in smuggling opium and the potent date rape drug ketamine.
Additional Inspector General of Police, Counter Intelligence H.K.P.S. Khakh said the police was chasing Canadian national Davinder Dev for some time.
The arrests were made from Jalandhar district.
A Jalandhar police team nabbed the men in two cars with 4.75-kg of ketamine (a popular and expensive party drug) and 6-kg opium packed in seven such soldered woks at Haripur T-Point near Jandu Singha village on Sunday morning. The anaesthetic ketamine produces a dissociative sensation that has made it a popular recreational drug. The men got it from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, with the opium sourced from Madhya Pradesh.
The men — Canadian national Davinder Nirwal alias Dev, 68, of Ganganagar, Rajasthan, currently residing in Khanna; Ajit Singh, 45; Tarlochan Singh, 42, of Jaitewali village in Jalandhar and Gurbax Singh, 50, of Katthe village, Hoshiarpur — were on their way to hand over the drug consignment to a courier company. Their cars, a Nissan Micra and a Nissan Terrano were impounded.
“The accused purchased 14 woks from Malerkotla. After concealing the drugs in between layers, the upper brims of the two were soldered. This gave it the appearance of a single unit. Ajit, who specially trained in welding for this purpose, soldered these,” said HKPS Khakh, assistant inspector general (AIG), counter-intelligence. He is also the investigating officer.
"The racket was found to be masterminded by Canadian citizens Kamaljit Singh Chauhan, residing in Toronto, and Davinder Nirwal also known as Dev," Khakh said in a statement on Sunday.
"Dev, a big name in the drug smuggling world, had been under close watch by the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)," said Khakh, who strategized the joint operation undertaken by the Counter Intelligence Wing and police in Jalandhar Rural.
Police claim that previously, the men had sent two consignments (6kg and 14 kg) of opium to Canada. “Global drug smugglers are now using this new modus operandi of using private couriers or postal services to send drug consignments,” Khak added. The courier company was given fake identity cards. Police have not revealed the courier company’s name, claiming investigation is on.
Police add that for the consignment of ketamine and opium seized on Sunday, the mastermind, Chauhan, had visited India from Canada in 2017 and fixed the deal himself.
“Interrogation has revealed that Dev and Ajit were to arrange the drugs and pack them inside the woks. Chauhan was to arrange the transport through courier,” Khak added.
Police have seized the 4.75 kg of ketamine and 6 kg of opium, neatly packed in double layered seven cauldrons, used for preparation of 'langar' (community food) material.
Apart from Dev, 68, the other accused have been identified as Ajit Singh, Tarlochan Singh and Gurbax Singh.
A police spokesperson said the drug syndicate had a well-established chain of supply within India and abroad, and police were on the trail of others involved in the racket, as well as the courier route used by them.
"All payments were being made through Hawala channels, which are also under investigation," the spokesman added.
Police said that Dev was a notorious smuggler who had been arrested in 2011 for international smuggling of narcotics.
"He had acquired huge properties from drug money and had purchased a commercial plaza of 6,000 square feet, along with some other properties in Jaipur, which have been sealed by the ED," the spokesman said.
Dev operated his smuggling channel abroad in Dubai and Canada as well as in different states of India, including Maharashtra, Goa and Rajasthan.
"Earlier, he had smuggled around 5 quintals of ketamine through containers from Jaipur to Canada through Kandla port in Gujarat," the spokesman said.
