Main accused in India's biggest-ever heroin drug haul case dies in police custody in Punjab

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Amritsar: Weeks after the biggest ever drug haul was unearthed in Punjab, the main accused in the case died on Sunday in police custody. Gurpinder Singh, who was arrested in a raid by Customs Department at the Attari border in Punjab's Amritsar on June 30, was reportedly sick for some time while he was lodged in an Amritsar jail.

On Sunday morning, he started throwing up while brushing his teeth and was immediately rushed to a civil hospital. However, he died on the way, Deputy Superintendent of Police Kamaljeet Singh said.

On June 30, the Customs Department had seized 532 kg of suspected heroin worth Rs 2700 crore which was being smuggled in a truck through the trade route at the Attari border, in the biggest ever drug haul.

The consignment of mixed narcotics was brought to Attari from Pakistan through Integrated Check Post (ICP) and was concealed under hundreds of bags of rock salt in the truck, officials had said.

Of the 600 bags which were recovered, 15 were suspected to contain narcotic material. On further examination of the 15 bags, it was found that they contained heroin of 532 kg and mixed narcotics of 52 kg, which were valued at Rs 2,700 crore.

After the consignment was found, Customs (Preventive) Commissioner Deepak Kumar Gupta had called it the biggest ever achievement in annals of the Indian Customs history.