BSF Seizes 15 Kg Heroin from Punjab Police Anti-Drone Constable Near Pakistan Border

Tarn Taran, October 15, 2026: The Border Security Force (BSF) has intercepted a Punjab Police constable posted with the state’s anti-drone system and recovered about 15 to 16 kg of heroin from his personal vehicle near the India-Pakistan border in Tarn Taran district, in a case that has raised concerns about possible insider involvement in cross-border smuggling.

The accused has been identified as Constable Karandeep Singh, a resident of Bhuse village. He was handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for further investigation into alleged cross-border links. According to officials cited in reports, the constable has been suspended and will also face a departmental inquiry.

The seizure took place around 6 a.m. near Naushehera Dhalla, also referred to as Naushara Dalla, village in the Sarai Amanat Khan area. Karandeep Singh was on two days’ leave and off duty when he was stopped at a BSF checkpoint while travelling in his personal car. A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of three packets containing the contraband. Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police Surendra Lamba confirmed the recovery of 15 kg of heroin, while some reports put the quantity at around 16 kg.

Preliminary investigation suggests that Singh, who was posted with the anti-drone system under the jurisdiction of Khalra police station, allegedly collected a consignment dropped by a drone from across the Pakistan border and was carrying it onward for delivery. Agency sources have described him as a drug addict. He joined the Punjab Police in 2018. Investigators are now questioning him about his alleged handlers and the wider supply network.

The recovered narcotics and the accused have been transferred to the NCB, which is probing the case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The case has drawn particular attention because Singh was deployed with Punjab’s “Baaz Akh” (Hawk Eye) anti-drone system, which the state government installed in August 2025 as a second line of defence behind the BSF. The system includes multiple units spread across the border belt from Pathankot to Fazilka and is intended to detect drones and ground-control stations used for smuggling drugs and weapons.

Punjab shares a 553-km international border with Pakistan, covering districts including Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur. At the time of its launch, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had described it as the first such state-level initiative.

In a related development the same day, Pathankot police, acting on intelligence, arrested two more suspects and recovered about 7.8 kg of heroin. The accused were identified as Gurpanth of Vadala village in Amritsar Rural and Harmanjeet Kaur of Dhianpur village in Gurdaspur.

Police said the packets recovered in that seizure bore distinctive seal impressions and Pakistani markings. A case under Section 21 of the NDPS Act was registered at Sadar police station, Pathankot, in FIR No. 155 dated October 12, 2026. Investigators are examining digital evidence, financial records and other material to map the supply chain.

The two seizures, carried out on the same day by different agencies, highlight the continuing challenge posed by drone-based narcotics smuggling along the international border. They also raise questions over internal safeguards and possible insider facilitation, given the involvement of a personnel assigned to anti-drone duties. Further investigation by central and state agencies is underway to identify additional operatives and dismantle the network.