KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
The Tarn Taran district, which is among the worst drug-hit districts of Punjab, is doing its best to “break the backbone” of the drug smugglers in the district even during the lockdown period. The district police have frozen the assets of 16 drug smugglers, worth Rs 8.6 crore, in the last one month. Besides, the police have prepared eight new cases for freezing property worth Rs 16 crore belonging to various drug smugglers, including those from Havelian village, which is situated at a stone’s throw distance from India Pakistan border.
Punjab’s Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema in a statement expressed his deep concern over the way drug mafia was active in Punjab and its neighbouring states even during the curfew clampdown, leading to loss of precious young lives. He said that during the last three days, one youth was shot dead allegedly by drug peddlers and two youths succumbed to drug overdose in the state, which, he said, was a matter of concern. He said the cases were those reported in the through the media, adding that there were many unreported cases.
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered one packet of heroin weighing one kg from near the border in Amritsar sector in Punjab. According to sources, along with the contraband, BSF also recovered arms, including one country made .30 bore pistol, two magazines and 24 live rounds (.30 bore) from the same spot. However, no arrest has been made in this connection.
The Border security Force (BSF) recovered nine packets of contraband suspected to be heroin of 4.5 kgs from Amritsar sector in Amritsar district.
Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that during the curfew period, more than 26,000 drug addicts have been registered under the de-addiction programme in the state. He said that a special campaign is being launched to register new patients under the programme on the directives of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. According to the data available with the state health department, 4.14 lakh addicts were registered with it. These included 1.55 lakh at Out Patient Opioid Assisted Treatment (OOAT) centres, 2.15 lakh in de-addiction centres and more than 30,000 in rehabilitation centres before the lockdown. Now the figure is 4.40 lakh, an increase of 26,000 patients in OOAT centres, the data reveals. The highest increase is in Ludhiana 2,600, followed by Moga 2,200, Mohali 1,800, Patiala 1,600 and Sangrur 1,300.
The Special Task Force (STF) against drugs arrested two persons, identified as Kulwinder Singh and Sarbjit Singh along with 800 gm heroin worth crores from Lakhewal village in Sangrur district. According to sources, another accomplice of the accused fled while the STF has been conducting further investigations.
Malerkotla Police arrested one person, identified as Mohd Rustam and confiscated 210 kg of poppy husk and Rs 39,500 drug money from him at the Adampal road. In Sangrur district.
Mohali Police arrested Punjabi singer Gurinder Singh, popularly known as Vadda Grewal for possessing 30 gm of opium from a private hospital in Sohana in SAS Nagar district. The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Ramandeep said that “The singer was undergoing treatment following drug overdose. We recovered 30-gm opium from his possession and registered a case in this regard.”
The Kapurthala district Police, in its concerted drive against drug smugglers in Kapurthala district, attached property worth Rs 2,95,61,625 of six drug peddlers with immediate effect. The decision was taken as per guidelines issued by office of competent authority, Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act - SAFEM (FOP) Act, and Section 68F (2) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act - NDPS Act, 1985.
The Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Harpreet Singh Sidhu, who heads the anti-narcotics Special Task Force (STF), said that nationwide lockdown has dealt a major blow to drug smuggling in Punjab and more than 26,000 people have registered at de-addiction centres since curfew was imposed in the state to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. He said that the surge in registrations at out-patient opioid assisted treatment (OOAT) centres across Punjab was because the supply chain of drug trafficking rings has been disrupted by the strict lockdown. A total of 309 cases were registered by Punjab Police under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and a large quantity of drugs have been seized, including 22 kg of heroin and more than 527 kg of poppy husk, since March 23, when the curfew was imposed. A total of 498 people have also been arrested in connection with drug smuggling during the lockdown
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered nine packets of contraband suspected to be heroin of 8.7 kg from Amritsar Sector in Punjab.
According to the latest data, smuggling of drugs across the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders is continuing unabated, albeit in much lesser numbers even in the time of nationwide lockdown which was implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19. According to the seizure and apprehension data (between January 1- March 24 and from March 25-April 12), the two borders, guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF), saw a number of such instances prompting the force to tighten vigil. Along the Punjab border, notorious for cross-border heroin smuggling from Pakistan, drug seizures came down from 97 kgs to about 18 kgs between the two comparable periods.
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh said that “The only good thing that has come out of COVID is that the drug supply line has broken. So, we are happy.” He has been at the forefront in the battle against drug addiction since he became chief minister in March 2017. “I have been informed that the supply line of the drugs has been broken. So, heroin and all these things which were being smuggled are no longer happening,” the CM said. Recently, the Centre had identified 272 districts across the country as hugely affected by the drug menace and was planning to implement an ‘addiction-free India’ initiative to address the issue. According to the Narcotics Control Bureau, 18 out of Punjab’s 22 districts were in the grip of drug menace.
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested a couple, identified as Gagandeep Singh and his wife Sonia along with 260 gm heroin from near Kakuwala on Sangrur-Patran road in Sangrur district. The couple was arrested while they were travelling on a motorcycle to New Delhi to allegedly smuggle the heroin worth Rs 1.30 crores in the market.
Police arrested three drug peddlers, identified as Gurwinder Singh, Satwinder Singh and Kamaljeet Singh along with 25-gram heroin and 740 narcotic pills in Moga district.
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 5 kg heroin and an imported pistol from the Zero Line along the border in Ferozepur district.
Police recovered 4.29 kg of heroin from the Indo-Pak border in Ferozepur district, revealed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harmanbir Singh Gill.
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 4.27 kg of heroin from an area close to the border outpost Bareke along the India-Pakistan border in Ferozepur district. According to officials, the consignment was stored in four plastic bottles and a China-made pistol was also seized along with the contraband.
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops recovered three packets of heroin weighting around 3.25 kg in the Abohar sector in Fazilka district.
A man, identified as Gurdev Singh was arrested along with 1.48-kg heroin from Behram Shersingh Wala village in Guruharsahai in Ferozepur district.
Police along with Narcotics Control Cell arrested one person, identified as Boota Singh and recovered 1 kg of heroin from him near Jodhpur village in Ferozepur district.
Police arrested three persons, Manpreet Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Bakshish Singh and recovered 2,300 intoxicating tablets from them in Lakho Ke Behram in Ferozepur district.
Police arrested one person, identified as Hoshiar Singh along with 20 gm of heroin from Lakho Ke Behram in Ferozepur district.
Police arrested two men, identified as Balwinder Singh and Palwinder Singh for allegedly peddling drugs, and recovered 20 gm of heroin from them in Shahkot in Jalandhar district.
Police arrested a migrant from Bihar, identified as Saroj Rai and recovered 400 gm of opium from him in Mullan Pur Dakha village in Ludhiana district.
Police arrested a person, Manjindar Singh along with 190 intoxicating tablets in Chacha colony in Jalandhar district.
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh said his government was committed to ensuring strict action against those responsible for Bargari and other sacrilege cases. Speaking at a conclave on the completion of his government's three years in office, the CM said that his focus had been on tackling drugs, gangsters and political killings.
Punjab Cooperation and Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that Punjab would come up triumphant in the war against drugs too on the pattern of independence movement, Indo-Pak wars and war against terrorism and the state would again reclaim its glorious position and be a role model. While speaking on the occasion of a summit, he said that on assuming the office as Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh constituted a Special Task Force (STF) and initiated the various anti-drug campaigns which have started bearing fruit.
Police arrested two persons, identified as truck driver Bohad Singh (29) and his assistant Jagtar Singh (22) and recovered 160 kg of poppy husk from their possession outside Ratanpura village near Hanumangarh in Rupnagar district. During the search operation, 160 kg of poppy husk, packed in eight bags, was found hidden under the bags of red chilli inside their truck.
The Moga police froze assets of five drug peddlers of Badhni Kalan area in Moga district. The drug peddlers, identified as Pardeep Kumar, Sadhu Singh, Boora Singh, Dalip Singh, and Pritam Kaur, were convicted by the sessions’ court under various sections of the NDPS Act.
Police arrested a truck driver Gurnam Singh (50) and his assistant Jassa Singh (29) along with 20 kg of poppy husk and 3 kg of opium from the National Highway-52 in Abohar in Fazilka district. According to Police, poppy husk was hidden under the bags of vegetable and the preliminary investigation reportedly indicated that the duo had arranged the contraband from Neemach in Madhya Pradesh to further supply it in Sangrur.
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered a packet of heroin weighing 1 kg, one pistol (9 mm) and a magazine during a search operation near border out post Raja Mahattam in Ferozepur on March 14.
Police arrested a cross-border drug peddler, identified as Davinder Singh along with 10 kg of heroin from the outskirts of Kakkar village under Lopoke police station in Amritsar district. IG (Border Range) SPS Parmar said that the seizure was made from across the border fence following the interrogation of Davinder Singh. “Davinder and his accomplices had been in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers to receive the drug consignment from across the border fence,” said the IG.
Police arrested a person, identified as Jaspal for peddling drugs and recovered one kg of opium from him in Jalandhar district.
The Phillaur police arrested a drug peddler, identified as Sunny Sethi and recovered 250 intoxicating capsules from him in Jalandhar district.
The Shahkot police arrested a person, identified as Pavneet Singh alias Jony along with 1 kg of opium in Jalandhar district. The accused told the police that he had brought the contraband from Jharkhand to further supply it in Shahkot.
The Mehatpur police arrested two persons, identified as Aashish and Vikas for allegedly selling intoxicant tablets and injections in Jalandhar district. According to Police, 80 intoxicant tablets, four injections and four vials were recovered from them.
The Nakodar police arrested a person, identified as Kamal Kumar, a resident of Meva village, for peddling drugs from Jalandhar district. Over 60 intoxicant tablets were recovered from him.
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 2 kg of heroin near the Mohar Sona border outpost in Fazilka district. According to source, on hearing a noise, the BSF troopers launched a search and recovered two plastic bottles buried in the fields across the barbed wire fencing. The bottles were filled with 2 kg of heroin worth Rs10 crore.
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 4 kg of heroin from New Gazniwala border outpost in Abohar in Fazilka district. The BSF troopers signalled the accused to stop and also opened fire, but the suspects managed to escape. During a search operation, four packets of heroin weighing 4 kg with a market value of Rs 20 crore were recovered.
The Barnala police arrested four persons with 40,01,040 intoxicating tablets, capsules and injections worth Rs 4-5 crore in two incidents in Barnala and Mathura. According to Police, interrogation of the main accused, Mittal, who was receiving the drugs at his medical store, had unveiled a chain of supply of psychotropic drugs into Punjab from other states. The accused used to store the contraband in a godown at the Masani bypass in Saraswati Kund in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
Police arrested three drug smugglers, including a woman, and recovered 21 kg gaanja from their possession in Phagwara in Kapurthala district on March 6 evening. The accused had been identified as Bihari migrants Manoj Kumar, Sanjit Kumar and Lalita Rani.
Around 3.58 gm heroin was recovered from a prisoner in the Sangrur Central Jail in Sangrur district. Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Amrik Singh said that “Accused Gurjit Singh had been facing trial in an NDPS case. On Friday, when he was taken to the jail after conviction, the head warden seized 3.58-gm heroin from him. We have registered another NDPS case against him
Rajya Sabha MP (Member of Parliament) Partap Bajwa alleged shoddy investigations into cases involving drug mafia in Punjab. Bajwa, in a letter to the Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad, pointed out that no effort had been made by the Centre or Punjab to take forward the investigations on the basis of report on a police-politician-drug mafia nexus, submitted by the STF led by Harpreet Singh Sidhu.
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) and Anti-Narcotics Cell of Sangrur arrested one man, identified as Harbans Singh along with 150 gm of heroin in Sangrur district. According to police, apart from his arrest, police have also registered a case against his two relatives, including Kaka Singh and Salim.
Police arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Jasvir Singh along with 100 gm of heroin from the outskirts of Rattian village in Moga district.
Another prime suspect in the recent recovery of 450-kg of narcotic substances, including 197-kg heroin, identified as Sahil Sharma surrendered before the court in Amritsar. The court sent him to jail. Earlier, the STF had confiscated around 450-kg of narcotic substances from a house in Akash Vihar in Sultanwind village on January 31 and arrested six persons.
Police busted a drug racket and arrested two persons, identified as Kulwinder Singh and Raman Kumar along with 11 kg of heroin on the Sutlej bridge in Phillaur subdivision of Jalandhar district.
A joint team of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Special Task Force (STF) is investigating the possibility of linking the seizure of around 450-kg narcotics from a house in Sultanwind village in Punjab on January 31 with the seizure of around 300 kg of contraband by the ATS from Gujarat last year. The ATS also arrested three more suspects following the interrogation of cloth trader Ankush Kapoor and gym trainers Sukhdip Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Major Singh, who were arrested along with the contraband in the preliminary stages of the case.
Police arrested a drug peddler who was out on bail, identified as Hardeep Singh alias Kaka and recovered 110 intoxicant injections and 110 bottles of intoxicant from his custody in Fatehgarh Sahib district.The preliminary investigation revealed that the peddler was earlier booked in NDPS Act and was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and has now just come out of jail after five years on bail and again started supplying drugs.