Chandigarh, Sep 15 (IANS): Army deserter Amritpal Singh, alias Fauji, a key player in the Pakistan-linked heroin smuggling racket, has been arrested by Counter Intelligence, Jalandhar and 12.5 kg heroin seized from his possession, Punjab's Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Sunday.

The accused, a resident of Tarn Taran, had been on the run since August when his accomplice, identified as Sartaj, was arrested from the bus stand with 33 kg of heroin in Jammu.

DGP Yadav said the cartel has international connections as it is being led by Amrit Pal Singh Baath, a native of Mianpur village in Tarn Taran, and presently operating from Dubai.

A notorious gangster and smuggler, Baath has 15-20 cases registered against him in various police stations in Punjab, including two murder cases.

Acting swiftly on reliable intelligence inputs, teams of Counter Intelligence Jalandhar laid a special checkpoint at the canal bridge of Kangniwal village in Jalandhar and arrested Amritpal Singh after recovering 200 grams of heroin, said the DGP, while adding that further investigation has resulted in recovery of 12.4 kg heroin from pinpointed location at link road from Tarn Taran to Jodhpur village as revealed by the accused.

Police teams have also impounded the motorcycle (PB 08 EL 5952) on which the accused Amritpal Singh was travelling, he added.

Sharing more details, Assistant Inspector General Navjot Singh Mahal said that during questioning, the arrested accused has revealed that he and his associate had procured a drug consignment of 50 kg heroin from the Akhnoor sector last month, of which, 33 kg heroin haul was with his associate Sartaj, who was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Following the arrest of his accomplice, Amritpal Singh concealed the remaining heroin at an abandoned location, he said, adding that further investigations are on to establish backwards and forward linkages in this case.