ARMY DESERTER’S ARREST CASE: KEY FINANCIAL CONDUIT LINKED TO CROSS-BORDER NARCO-TERROR MODULE HELD
— ARRESTED ACCUSED DELIBERATELY USED HIS BANK ACCOUNT FOR ROUTING PROCEEDS OF HEROIN TRAFFICKING ON DIRECTIONS OF PAK-BASED SMUGGLER: DGP GAURAV YADAV
— FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS ONGOING; MORE ARRESTS ARE LIKELY IN COMING DAYS: AIG SSOC DEEPAK PAREEK
CHANDIGARH/SAS NAGAR, January 25 (WISHAVWARTA):- In an intelligent-led operation amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a drug free state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) SAS Nagar has busted a key financial link of an inter-state and cross-border narco-terror module with the arrest of a crucial financial conduit, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Satnam Singh (22), a resident of village Punnewal in Sangrur. The latter had worked as a taxi driver in a private company and in June last year, had travelled to Azerbaijan on a tourist visa, where he came in contact with a Pakistan-based drug smuggler.
The development came following the thorough investigation of backward and forward linkages in the arrest of a key narco-terror operative Rajbir Singh alias Fauji from Raxaul town located near the Indo-Nepal border, while he was attempting to flee to Nepal. Accused Rajbir, who deserted Indian Army in February 2025, was found to be the supplier of heroin to Chirag, a courier earlier arrested with 107 grams of heroin and one 9 mm pistol along with live cartridges.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the arrested accused Satnam Singh has facilitated terror financing by deliberately using his bank account and UPI credentials for routing proceeds of heroin trafficking, acting at the behest of a Pakistan-based drug smuggler.
The DGP said that the network has been linked to significant heroin recoveries, illegal arms trafficking, and the grenade attack that occurred in Sirsa in Haryana in November 2025.
Sharing more details, AIG SSOC SAS Nagar Deepak Pareek said that during sustained investigation and custodial interrogation of Rajbir Singh alias Fauji revealed that after returning to India, in September 2025, the Pak-based smuggler re-established contact with Satnam and gradually cultivated him to work for the drug network and offered him commission for facilitating financial transactions.
During interrogation, it was revealed that drug money was deposited into Satnam Singh’s account after heroin sales, and these proceeds were subsequently routed further to other associates of the network. It further surfaced that Rajbir Singh, through the account of Tarn Taran based Gurjant Singh, transferred funds into Satnam Singh’s account, he said, while adding that accused Gurjant has already been arrested by the Haryana Police.
The AIG said that further investigations are ongoing and more arrests are likely in coming days.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 14 dated 10.12.2025 had been registered under section 21 of the NDPS Act, section 25(1) of the Arms Act and 61(2) Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station SSOC SAS Nagar.
