CHANDIGARH, December 20:
In a major breakthrough against the narco-terror nexus amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) SAS Nagar has apprehended an Army deserter identified as Rajbir Singh alias Fauji from Raxaul town located near the Indo-Nepal border in Motihari, Bihar, while he was attempting to flee the country via Nepal, and recovered 500 grams heroin and one hand grenade from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Saturday.
The development came close on the heels of the arrest of his associate identified as Chirag, a resident of Kashi Ram Colony in Fazilka, and 407 grams heroin along with one 9MM pistol was recovered from his possession. The latter was operating as a courier for accused Rajbir and played a significant role in channelising the proceeds of drug trafficking back to him, thereby acting as a crucial link in the narcotics supply chain.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation of arrested accused Rajbir revealed that the latter joined the Indian Army in 2011 and deserted in February 2025 after he and his associates were booked in an espionage case, registered under sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act at Police Station Gharinda in Amritsar Rural earlier this year.
Investigation has further established the role of both the arrested accused persons in the conspiracy behind the grenade attack on a Women Police Station in Sirsa, Haryana, said the DGP, while adding that accused persons Rajbir and Chirag had delivered the hand grenades to Gurjant Singh of Amritsar Rural, who has since been arrested by Haryana Police, and also channelised financial assistance through Chirag. The funds provided to Gurjant were further passed on to the assailants and were utilised for carrying out the said grenade attack, he added.
The DGP said that further investigation is underway to establish forward and backward linkages in this case.
Sharing more details, AIG SSOC SAS Nagar D Sudarvizhi said that probe has also revealed that in 2022, arrested accused Rajbir came in contact with some Pakistan-based entities through social media and in lieu of access to heroin consignments, he began supplying sensitive and confidential military information and introduced other Army personnel to these handlers. Following the registration of the case, Rajbir absconded and used Nepal as a hideout, frequently moving between Punjab and Nepal and continued his drug trafficking operations, she said.
The AIG said that Rajbir further disclosed that his Pakistan-based handlers were facilitating his escape from India to Europe via Nepal. After obtaining transit remand, the accused was brought to Punjab, she added.
In this regard, a case FIR No. 14 dated 10.12.2025 has 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.
