In a big success, the Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the Border Security Force (BSF), have busted an inter-state drug module involved in smuggling narcotics from Pakistan through drones by arresting four persons in Kathua district of the Union Territory.
Interestingly, sleuths of the Kathua Police were following this sensational case a month ago after arresting two employees of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) project, posted in Samba district.
Sharing details of busting this syndicate, Senior Superintendent of Police, Kathua, Shobhit Saxena said that on July 29 this year, a joint party of police and BSF near the International Border in Chhan Tanda village in the Hiranagar sector recovered nearly half a kg of drone-dropped opium packets.
A case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was registered at Police Station Hiranagar.
Two drug traffickers, namely Sukhwinder Singh and Arshadeep Singh of Gurdaspur, Punjab, who were assigned the task of picking up the drone-dropped consignment, were arrested. The arrested persons were working on the NHAI project in the Ghagwal-Samba sector in the ongoing Jammu-Pathankot highway widening project.
Based on specific inputs jointly developed by #BSF Jammu and Kathua Police, a drug module was busted in Kathua with significant quantities of narcotics recovered, including 447 grams on 29 July 2025 and 411 grams on 21 August 2025 with arrest of following individuals involved in… pic.twitter.com/B9lUJs7HLh
— BSF JAMMU (@bsf_jammu) September 3, 2025
The interrogation of the arrested duo led to the recovery of 411 grams of heroin and the arrest of another drug trafficker, Feroz Din alias Allu, a resident of the Rajbagh area of Kathua.
According to police, Feroz Din was in touch with a Pakistan-based drug smuggler. Further disclosure by Feroz Din led to the arrest of the kingpin and main financier from Tarn Taran, Punjab.
The arrested kingpin from Punjab's Tarn Taran area was also in touch with the same Pak-based smuggler and was responsible for sending the proceeds of narcotics to Pakistan via the Hawala channel.
"Heroin and cash were recovered from both drug traffickers and the kingpin," the police said.
Saxena said the accused are hardcore criminals and have already supplied more than 30 kg of heroin, which was dropped in Punjab and J-K to drug peddlers in adjoining districts.
Police said that the arrested persons ran a sophisticated syndicate, taking all precautions, hence had been evading law enforcement till now. Further investigation in the case is ongoing, and more recoveries and arrests are expected in the coming days.
Arrests & recoveries
Two couriers from Punjab—Sukhwinder Singh, son of the late Baldev Singh of Amritsar, and Arshdeep Singh, alias Raja, son of Paramjeet Singh of Gurdaspur—were the first to be arrested. Their role was to pick up drone consignments and act as couriers. From their possession, 411 grams of heroin were recovered.
On their disclosure, drug trafficker Feroz Din, alias Allu, son of Rajbagh, Kathua, was arrested. He was in direct touch with a Pakistan-based handler.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the syndicate's kingpin/financier from Tarn Taran, Punjab, who was responsible for channeling the proceeds of narcotics to Pakistan through hawala. Heroin and cash were seized during the arrests.
Scale of operations
Investigations have revealed that the syndicate had already facilitated the supply of over 30 kg of heroin in J&K and Punjab through drone drops. The accused are hardcore criminals who had been evading law enforcement by running a sophisticated, well-coordinated network.
