For Punjab Drugs Mafia, Border Shrines, Farmhouses Are Secret Hubs

Shashi Kant reports that the terrorist-drugs mafia nexus makes use of ‘safe houses’ in Punjab’s border districts.

‘Bambi’ (tubewell) is a popular household word in rural Punjab. Despite the constantly diminishing cultivated area in Punjab, a good chunk still remains green. These bambies dot the rural areas of the states. Besides irrigation, they have also been traditionally coming in handy for sundry nefarious purposes, including sheltering criminals, drinking bouts, debauchery and hiding ‘lahan’ (the brewed concoction from which illicit liquor is distilled).

All along the border belt, a number of bambies have also been used as ‘safe houses’ to hide smuggled contraband, including drugs and arms and ammunition. The turbulent and disturbed past of Punjab bears testimony to this fact. Nothing much has changed even after militancy was crushed in the state.

The Border Safe Houses

• Border along Punjab is dotted by ‘safe houses’ being conveniently used to hide smuggled contraband, including drugs, arms and ammunition
  
• Popular ‘safe houses’, besides these ‘bambies’, include ‘pathi dumps’ abandoned houses and obscure shrines, which are not in common use
  
• Contacts in central investigating agencies indicate that perhaps the mazaar, which has figured in the Pathankot incident, was one such place being used as a ‘safe house’
  

Modus Operandi

All smuggled goods, drugs, arms and ammunition are never carried to their ultimate destinations in one go. They are always laid off (hidden) in designated safe houses to ‘cool off’ to prevent the chances of any ‘hot pursuit’ or detection. They are carried off to the next safe houses, again laid for some time and the process goes on till they reach their desired destination.

This is the modus operandi, except in cases where there is ‘immediate and urgent need’ to push the stuff to the designated place. In such cases often vehicles, including that of rogue security elements, are also used. Popular ‘safe houses’, besides these ‘bambies’, include ‘pathi dumps’ (dumps of dried cow dung which is also used as fuel, ‘paily’ (a place where hay stock and cow dung is stored), abandoned houses and obscure shrines, which are not in common use.

Border Shrine a Refuge?

Such places exist in abundance all along on the border areas. Contacts in central investigating agencies indicate that perhaps the mazaar, which has figured in the Pathankot incident, was one such place which was being used as a ‘safe house’ for quite some time now, under the very nose of the anti-drug/security/police agencies.

The truth will of course be revealed once investigations into the Pathankot terror strike are completed, but the central probe agencies are trying to locate other suspicious safe houses, some located in sprawling farmhouses across Pathankot and Gurdaspur districts.

The Dinanagar Mystery

Central investigating and security agencies have also ‘reopened’ the mysterious Dinanagar incident. It may be recalled that the Punjab government had not permitted the NIA or other concerned national agencies to step in and probe the attack on Dinanagar police station in July 2015 even though it had national security implications.

Questions have also been raised if it was an attempt on part of the state government to shield some powerful people in one or the other way. To put it more explicitly, were some Punjab politicians involved in suppressing the probe into the Dinanagar attack?

Threat of Narco-Terrorism

Indeed, time and investigation will reveal the truth, if it is permitted to be revealed. I have been getting pointed queries from a section of the foreign media as to how come, despite these two blatant terrorist attacks on Indian sovereignty by Pakistan-trained terrorists with explicit collusion of the ISI and a section of Pakistani army/government, the Punjab and Indian governments are not taking any head-on action against Indian drug barons.

They are also asking other embarrassing questions, including why the state and central governments are turning blind eye to Punjab’s main problem now – narco-terrorism. Is India’s security subservient to the petty political interests of Punjab’s politicians?

(The writer is a former additional director-general (intelligence), Punjab Police)

Also read Parkash Singh Badal and the ‘Secret File’ on Punjab’s Drug Barons

Pathankot’s Drug Racket: Punjab May Yet Become Another Mexico