Five pistols, Rs 11 lakh fake currency seized on Pak-border

Amritsar, Oct 13 (UNI) Sleuths of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized five pistols alongwith 10 magazines and Rs 11 lakh counterfeit Indian currency from Naushera Dhalla, village on the Indo-Pakistan border last night.

DRI sources today said that the seizure was made from a hardcore smuggler of the village, Harpal Singh. He was later booked under various sections of the Arms Act, the NDPS Act and the IPC.

Giving details, DRI sources said that the weapons and fake currency had been concealed in the fields along the border by Pakistani smugglers, probabaly on Saturday night. Harpal Singh had been intimated on the mobile phone about the contraband by the Pak-based smugglers.

After recovering the weapons and fake currency he had concealed it in his house, waiting for the right opportunity to move it out to a 'safer' area. The DRI on specific information raided the house of Harpal Singh and seized the contraband.

DRI officials stated that the smugglers had once again adopted the 'conceal and clear' approach to smuggle in the fake currency and weapons. The method is popular with the heroin smugglers along the Pak border in Punjab.

Reports with the Punjab Police said that Harpal Singh is a known smuggler of the area. His father, Labh Singh was involved in gold smuggling in the 1960's and 1970's while his brother, Avtar Tari has been arrested on smuggling charges in the past.

Preliminary interrogation of Harpal Singh revealed that in the last ten days he had transported an estimated Rs 50 lakh counterfeit Indian currency notes from the border to various places in Punjab and Delhi. This amount which came in batches from Pakistan was retreaved by Harpal Singh from close to the border and then transported.

The confession made by Harpal Singh has shocked DRI officials and they have reported the matter to their higher authorities. Despite the border being fenced, smugglers have been successful in smuggling heroin and fake currency from Pakistan.

UNI XC-HS DB 1324