Ahmedabad:The main accused of the sensational smuggling of more than 305 kg of heroin worth over Rs 900 crores in India through Gujarat coast and taking it to Northern states including Punjab two years ago, Simranjeet Singh Sandhu has been nabbed in Italy on the basis a red-corner notice of the Interpol, a Head of the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Gujarat police Himanshu Shukla today said.

He said that Sandhu was the master-mind and among two of the total seven accused in the case, who were not arrested so far. Now the ATS would try to get his custody.

Notably the the drug had landed on Gujarat coast and taken to Punjab in trucks laden with cumin seeds from Unjha, one of the spices hub in North Gujarat. Though 5 arrests were made in this connection yet Sandhu the main said link between Indian smugglers and Pakistan based cartel with suspected terror links was at large.

Notably, on August 12, 2018 the ATS along with local police had arrested one Aziz Bhaghadh in coastal Sodsala village in Jam Salaya taluka of Devbhoomi-Dwarka district of Gujarat and seized 5 kg Heroin worth around Rs 15 crore from him. Later on his info another man Rafiq Sumra was arrested. It was revealed that apart from the 5 kg heroin seized from Bhaghadh, 300 kg more of it worth Rs 900 crore was smuggled from Pakistan via Dubai sea route to Mandvi in Kutch district of Gujarat and sent to the spice hub town of Unjha in Mehesana district of North Gujarat from where it was smuggled to Punjab hidden in the trucks laden with cumin seeds.

Arshad Sotta alias Raju Dubai, one of the main accused who worked as a link between suppliers of heroin from Pakistan via Dubai and the Indian buyers, was nabbed near Sonauli border of Nepal on the basis of a tip off by the ATS on October 1 that year. He was native of Mandavi in Kutch. Earlier on September 16, 2018, Nazir Ahmed Thaker , was nabbed from Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. He had also come thrice to Unjha in North Gujarat to take 50, 50 and 200 kg of Heroin (worth over 900 crores) for delivery in Punjab.

The Gujarat ATS had in October 2018 arrested another accused in this case from his native place in Kashmir. Manzoor Ahmed Mir (45) a native of Badgam in Kashmir with suspected links with terror outfit Jaish-E-Mohammed. He had provided money for smuggling of Heroin. He had also visited Gujarat (the spice hub of Unjha from where the drugs were smuggled to Punjab) thrice.

2 more accused including one Simranjeet who also has links with Pakistan, were at large.

With Sandhu’s arrest the terror link angle of this case could be untangled.

DeshGujarat