Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad on Thursday arrested an Amritsar resident wanted in a cross-border smuggling case in Punjab from an embroidery factory in Ahmedabad’s Rakhial area, officials said.
A Gujarat Narcotics Control Department official said the suspect, Rehmat Ali, a resident of Behalla Colony in Amritsar, was wanted by Punjab Police in a case related to smuggling of heroin, grenades and firearms across Punjab’s border with Pakistan.
According to Gujarat ATS, Ali’s movement from Nepal to Gujarat was tracked after receiving specific intelligence while monitoring drug networks operating across India.
Punjab Police had earlier arrested two other suspects and seized 42.9 kg of heroin, four hand grenades, a pistol with a star on it and 46 live rounds. Ali then fled the state, crossed into Nepal, moved through Bihar and eventually reached Gujarat, where he started working in an embroidery unit in Ahmedabad, officials said.
“During initial interrogation, the accused revealed his involvement in a wider drug and arms smuggling network. He transported consignments of heroin, grenades and pistols from the border areas of Punjab in January and handed them over to other individuals in the state,” the Narcotics Control Agency official added.
The Gujarat Narcotics Control Department said in a statement that it had informed Punjab Police and initiated legal proceedings to extradite him for further action.
