‘Didwana arms case has links to 300cr heroin haul in Barmer'
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Jaipur: Police in Didwana have stepped up their probe into a cross-border smuggling case in which they arrested two arms and drug smugglers on June 27 for supplying Austrian Glock and Chinese Norinco pistols.
It has emerged that the case has links to a massive Rs 300-crore heroin consignment seized by Punjab's Amritsar police near the India-Pakistan border in Barmer on June 30. Canada-based Joben Kaler was identified as the main overseas handler of the heroin consignment.
Didwana-Kuchaman police had arrested Mohammad Ilyas from Khunkhuna and Amarjeet Singh Takhar, alias Prince, from Jalandhar with two imported pistols and parts for three more weapons.
During questioning, they revealed links to Dubai-based smuggler Asgar Ali. The weapons were being sent to India through Pakistani couriers named Tofiq, Mohammad Ishaq, and Joben Kaler. Police said the weapons, including Glock 9 mm and Norinco pistols typically used by military forces, were meant for gangs operating in different states.
"We arrested Ilyas and Amarjeet on June 27. During interrogation, Joben Kaler's name came up, and we included it in the FIR.
When the heroin was seized in Barmer on June 30, his name surfaced again. We have intensified our investigation," said Hanuman Prasad, SP of Didwana-Kuchaman, on Tuesday. He added that a police team was sent to Uttar Pradesh to track down other members of the smuggling network.
Just four days after the arrests in Didwana, a joint operation by Punjab Police, BSF, and Rajasthan Police intercepted the 60.3 kg heroin consignment in Barmer.
Briefings from these departments named Pakistan-based Tanveer Shah and Joben Kaler as the key handlers of the drug network. Nine suspects from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir were arrested. The investigation also uncovered a hawala system used to launder the drug money.
SP Prasad said the weapons seized from Ilyas and Amarjeet were also smuggled through Pakistan, and the consignment is believed to have been arranged by Kaler. Police believe that after moving to Canada on a student visa in 2021, Kaler was using Rajasthan's remote desert areas near the border as landing zones for both arms and drugs. His role in managing both smuggling operations makes it easier for traffickers to send heroin, pistols, and ammunition in a single drop—using drones or camel couriers—which saves time and avoids detection.
Currently, Didwana Police teams are stationed in western Uttar Pradesh to track money mules linked to the gang, based on details from the interrogation of arrested couriers.
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