A Punjab Police constable, Karandeep Singh, who tasked with preventing drone-based drug smuggling along the International Border has been arrested with 15 kg of heroin, worth over Rs 40 crore, in Tarn Taran district.
The constable, identified as Karandeep Singh, was taken into custody during an operation by the Border Security Force (BSF) and investigative agencies in the Sarai Amanat Khan area of the border district.
According to reports, Singh not only colluded with smugglers across the border to sneak in the drone delivery but also collected the consignment for delivery.
Singh was in civilian clothes and on his way to hand over the drugs to a third party in his car when he was apprehended in a joint operation by the BSF and investigative agencies at a police checkpoint in the Sarai Amanat Khan area.
The constable, identified as Karandeep Singh, was taken into custody during an operation by the Border Security Force (BSF) and investigative agencies in the Sarai Amanat Khan area of the border district.
The accused was allegedly transporting the consignment from the border to his village, Bhusse.
“Constable Karandeep Singh, a resident of Bhuse village, was arrested by the Border Security Force (BSF) at a naka in the Sarai Amanat Khan area of the district,” Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police Surendra Lamba said.
According to police, the BSF intercepted a suspicious car at the checkpoint and a search resulted in the recovery of 15kg heroin. Karandeep was driving the vehicle, they added. Tarn Taran deputy superintendent of police Sukhbir Singh said Karandeep was posted at the anti-drone system in the jurisdiction of the Khalra police station.
Notably, on August 9, 2025, Punjab launched ‘Baaz Akh’, an anti-drone system, in Tarn Taran, a first such system along the International Border.
The Punjab government installed its own anti-drone system in the border areas in August last year. The anti-drone system was called ‘Baaz Akh’ (Hawk Eye), and it was projected as the second line of defence in the border districts in coordination with the Border Security Force.
After the contraband was seized, Singh was handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
“The recovered contraband and the accused police employee have been handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), which has launched a comprehensive investigation to unearth the wider nexus behind the cross-border smuggling operation,” said Sarai Amanat Khan police station in-charge Raj Kumar.
Investigating team is now attempting to establish the source of the heroin consignment, trace its intended destination and identify others who may have been involved in the suspected trafficking operation.
