In an intelligence-led operation amid the ongoing drive to make Punjab a drug-free state, as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), SAS Nagar, has busted a key financial link of an inter-state and cross-border narco-terror module with the arrest of a crucial financial conduit, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Satnam Singh (22), a resident of village Punnewal in Sangrur district. He had previously worked as a taxi driver with a private company and, in June last year, travelled to Azerbaijan on a tourist visa, where he came in contact with a Pakistan-based drug smuggler.
The development followed a thorough investigation of backward and forward linkages after the arrest of a key narco-terror operative, Rajbir Singh alias Fauji, from Raxaul town near the Indo–Nepal border, while he was attempting to flee to Nepal. Rajbir Singh, who deserted the Indian Army in February 2025, was found to be the supplier of heroin to Chirag, a courier earlier arrested with 107 grams of heroin and one 9 mm pistol along with live cartridges.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused, Satnam Singh, facilitated terror financing by deliberately allowing the use of his bank account and UPI credentials for routing proceeds of heroin trafficking, acting at the behest of a Pakistan-based drug smuggler.
The DGP added that the network has been linked to significant heroin recoveries, illegal arms trafficking, and the grenade attack that occurred in Sirsa, Haryana, in November 2025.
Sharing more details, AIG SSOC SAS Nagar Deepak Pareek said that sustained investigation and custodial interrogation of Rajbir Singh alias Fauji revealed that after returning to India in September 2025, the Pakistan-based smuggler re-established contact with Satnam Singh and gradually cultivated him to work for the drug network, offering commission for facilitating financial transactions.
During interrogation, it was revealed that drug money was deposited into Satnam Singh’s bank account after heroin sales, and the proceeds were subsequently routed to other associates of the network.
It also surfaced that Rajbir Singh, through the account of Gurjant Singh, a resident of Tarn Taran, transferred funds into Satnam Singh’s account. Gurjant Singh has already been arrested by the Haryana Police, he added.
The AIG said that further investigations are ongoing and more arrests are likely in the coming days.
In this regard, a case FIR dated 10 December 2025 has been registered under Section 21 of the NDPS Act, Section 25(1) of the Arms Act, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station SSOC, SAS Nagar.