Heroin haul: ATS team in Punjab in search of smugglers

JAISALMER: An ATS team from Jaipur has reached Punjab in connection with the investigation into the seizure of 8kg heroin smuggled from Pakistan's border adjoining Jaisalmer. The team has raided many places in search of a heroin smuggler, Guddu Bali.
Three smugglers of Punjab were arrested in a hotel at Jaisalmer on August 9 while trying to hand over heroin to another gang. One of the accused, Hasan Khan, was released by the police due to political pressure. However, the ATS has now included him in the FIR lodged in this connection. They are also looking for two local smugglers -- Makhan Khan and Mohammad Khan - who are absconding.
According to sources, Punjab-based Guddu Bali had sent three smugglers to Jaisalmer to take the delivery of 8kg heroin. The team raided many places at Holu township of Nava Shahar in Punjab, the native place of smuggler, but no details could be found.
Sources said that Guddu Bali had a tie-up with heroin smugglers in Pakistan. As per the plan, Pakistan smugglers gave 10kg heroin to a smuggler named Hajuria to be handed over to Makhan Khan and Pyare Khan, in Jaisalmer.
Pak smuggler Hajuria, kept 2 kg of heroin with him as his remuneration and sent the remaining 8kg heroin with his son Nihal to the border of Jaisalmer and handed it over to the smugglers. Sources said that Makhan Khan and Pyare Khan, after collecting the delivery from Nihal, gave the consignment to Jam Khan and his colleague Hasan Khan. Hasan Khan buried the consignment in his field. The ATS and police caught Hasan Khan along with Jam Khan and three other smugglers from Punjab at a hotel, but later due to political pressure, Hasan Khan was released.
The ATS has now named Hasan Khan in the FIR and has started a hunt for him. On the other hand, local smuggler Jam Khan and Punjab smuggler Kulvinder Singh were produced in the court on August 18 on the end of remand and the NDPS court has sent them to judicial custody.
Prior to this, local smuggler Pyare Khan and Punjab smugglers Paramdeep Singh and Gudeep Singh were sent to judicial custody.