JAISALMER: In a dramatic, film-style operation, police in the Sameja Kothi of the border district of Sri Ganganagar recovered a consignment of ammunition and heroin allegedly dropped by a Pakistani drone. The seizure was made during a blockade on the Bharat Mala Road (National Highway-911) on Monday evening. Police arrested two smugglers from Punjab and recovered five foreign-made pistols, 72 cartridges, around 1.5 kg of heroin worth approximately Rs 8 crore in the international market, and 1 kg of opium from a car without a number plate. Sri Ganganagar Superintendent of Police Harishankar Yadav said that police had received confidential information that two suspects were transporting a consignment of weapons and narcotics, reportedly dropped by a Pakistani drone in the border area, and were heading towards Punjab in a vehicle without a number plate via Anupgarh road. Acting on the input, multiple police teams were formed and a blockade was set up about one kilometer from Sameja Kothi police station, near a canal culvert, using tractor-trolleys placed in advance. During the operation, the suspicious car, moving from Salempura towards Bajuwala, rammed into a private Bolero vehicle of Assistant Sub-Inspector Vinod Kumar and fled back towards Sameja Kothi. Police quickly reinforced the blockade outside the town using tractor-trolleys. The tractor-trolleys, belonging to a nearby building material store, were loaded with sand and gravel and used as roadblocks. The speeding car without a number plate, coming from Anupgarh, crashed heavily into one of the tractor-trolleys as police vehicles pursued it. As soon as the car stopped, the two occupants attempted to flee on foot. However, police chased and apprehended both in nearby fields. According to the Superintendent of Police, a search of the vehicle led to the recovery of a large quantity of narcotics and weapons. Police seized 1.494 kg of heroin, 990 grams of opium, five foreign-made pistols, and 72 live cartridges. Sources identified the arrested smugglers as Robin and Kulwinder Singh, residents of Fazilka district in Punjab. The accused were reportedly carrying the consignment after receiving it near the Salempura area between Sameja Kothi and Anupgarh, and were heading towards Punjab. It is suspected that the consignment was dropped by a drone from across the Pakistan border. The seized heroin is estimated to be worth around ₹8 crore in the international market. Police are conducting intensive interrogation of the accused to determine the source of the consignment and identify those involved in its delivery.
