TARN TARAN, May 18: In one of the year’s largest drug hauls, the Tarn Taran police on Friday arrested Amarjot Singh, a pharmacist and son of a retired Army Subedar, with 85 kilograms of heroin—narcotics estimated to be worth over ₹500 crore in the international market.
Amarjot, who hails from a village in Punjab, was initially caught with 5 kg of heroin. However, based on his disclosure, the police later recovered the remaining consignment. Tarn Taran SSP Abhimanyu Rana confirmed that Singh had been remanded to police custody until May 19.
“We are analysing his phone to identify the pickup and delivery points. Preliminary investigation suggests the consignment may have been smuggled from Jammu and Kashmir,” Rana said. He added that Amarjot had met three individuals prior to arriving in Tarn Taran to deliver the drugs.
The arrest has devastated his family, especially his father, Subedar Balwinder Singh (retd), who served the nation with pride. “I never imagined my son would be involved in something like this,” he said, holding back tears. “In the past two years, our life turned upside down when Amarjot met with an accident. Later, he became a drug addict. His addiction led to the fall and devastation of the entire family.”
Once a qualified pharmacist, Amarjot had completed a B.Pharma degree and opened a chemist shop in a nearby village. The shop was sold last year. His father recounted that Amarjot had also attempted to settle abroad but failed the IELTS exam twice. “I sold one and a half acres of land to build our house last year. Due to ill health, I can’t cultivate the rest of the land,” Balwinder said.
The case has brought renewed focus on the growing nexus of local youth and international drug cartels, especially across the border. Investigators suspect that the heroin recovered may have been trafficked through cross-border channels, involving operatives in Pakistan.
The probe is ongoing.
