With the arrest of two persons and seizure of four kilogram of heroin, the Punjab Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a major drug cartel with an international trail as well as links to gangsters and terrorists.

Initial investigations indicate a nexus of the accused, identified as Jaswinder Singh alias Jass and Ramesh Kumar alias Kesa, both natives of the Jalandhar district, with some gangsters lodged in Punjab jails, as well as a Dubai-based smuggler.

According to the Director General of Police, Dinkar Gupta, the investigations so far suggest the proceeds generated from the sale of the drugs, smuggled into Punjab from Kashmir, were probably being used to fund terror activities. Further investigations are in progress to unravel the full international conspiracy and network, complete with backward and forward linkages, he said.

Besides the heroin, two country made .32 bore pistols (with 10 live rounds) and a car having the registration number JK-012-E-2277 have also been recovered from the accused, who used to bring drugs from Srinagar on instructions from imprisoned gangsters in Punjab.

The drug cartel’s links have been traced to a Dubai based individual, who is allegedly involved in networking the drug smugglers in Kashmir for supply of drugs to drug smugglers and traffickers based in Punjab.

Giving details of the case, the DGP disclosed that the Jalandhar (Rural) Police had received inputs of Jaswinder Singh, Ramesh Kumar and Gursewak Singh operating a drug network, under instructions from one Palwinder Singh alias Pinda, who is currently lodged in Ferozepur jail.

Following the tip-off, the police conducted intelligenceled raids leading to the arrest of Jaswinder Singh and Ramesh Kumar from the former’s house in village Lohian in Jalandhar. Their accomplice, Gursewak Singh, a resident of Patiala, is, however, absconding and a manhunt has been launched for him.

Interrogation of the arrested accused has revealed that their modus operandi was to bring the drugs, on behalf of Palwinder Singh, from Srinagar to Punjab in a J&K vehicle (in the present case,a car with the registration number JK-012E-2277). It appears that the drugs were smuggled into India from across the border, and then sold in the market, with the money going into financing the gangster as well as terrorist.