Haryana ATS Busts Narco-Terror Network Linked to Panchkula Club Firing, 7 Held
Seven people have been arrested after the Haryana ATS traced a Panchkula club firing to an alleged international narco-terror network, recovering heroin, pistols and cash-counting machines.
The Haryana Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has dismantled an alleged international narco-terror network, arresting seven people and recovering a cache of narcotics, weapons and equipment, the force said on Tuesday.
ATS Superintendent of Police Varun Singla told a press conference that the case was the first major investigation brought to a conclusion by the newly constituted unit.
How the case began
The probe traces back to a firing at Alif Laila Club in Sector-11, Panchkula, in the early hours of September 13. A young woman was struck by a bullet and taken to hospital. An FIR was registered and an investigation opened.
Investigators found that five men had reached the club in two vehicles. According to the police account, an argument broke out while they were drinking, after which one of them fetched a pistol from a vehicle and fired two rounds, injuring the woman.
Three of the accused were picked up at the spot, one was arrested in SAS Nagar and three others in Ludhiana. A cash-counting machine was seized during the initial arrests.
Links to an overseas network
Technical analysis and follow-up investigation pointed to alleged ties between the accused and an international narco-terror operation. Handlers based abroad, particularly in the United States, are accused of arranging accommodation, vehicles and funds to move weapons, narcotics and drug money to locations of their choosing.
One person involved in the firing was arrested on September 15. The trail then led the ATS to an alleged intermediary in the network, held in Ludhiana on September 19 and remanded to police custody.
Recoveries
During the remand period, police said they recovered 529 grams of heroin, known locally as chitta, from a deserted spot where it had allegedly been hidden in a motorcycle. A search of the accused's hideout yielded a 30-bore pistol, three live cartridges and a cash-counting machine. A separate ATS case has been registered over the narcotics recovery.
Information from the accused also helped police trace the second vehicle allegedly used in the firing. Raids in Ludhiana led to the recovery of a Scorpio, another cash-counting machine and further evidence.
The overall haul includes an XUV, a Scorpio, a motorcycle, a US-made pistol, a 30-bore pistol, three cash-counting machines, five mobile phones, 12 live cartridges and the heroin. Mobile phones belonging to all the accused have been seized and sent for technical examination.
Drones and cross-border drops
Preliminary findings suggest the network used local operatives to move consignments of narcotics, weapons and other prohibited material dropped across the border by drone. Vehicles and money were allegedly supplied to people working for the racket.
Singla said the ATS is examining the network's supply chain, its financial trail, the sources of its weapons and drugs, and its connections to handlers overseas. More arrests and recoveries are expected as the investigation advances.