Opium, gold jewellery, cash seized from woman’s locker

MOHALI: The Special Task Force (STF), Mohali, seized 116.17 gm of opium, 707.47 gm of gold jewellery worth Rs 21 lakh, an amount of Rs 1.91 lakh and documents of 12 properties, allegedly bought with drug money, from the locker of an Ambala-based woman, who was arrested along with her accomplices in December 2017 in a drug peddling case.

The accused, Sweety. Tribune photo: Vicky

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 2

The Special Task Force (STF), Mohali, seized 116.17 gm of opium, 707.47 gm of gold jewellery worth Rs 21 lakh, an amount of Rs 1.91 lakh and documents of 12 properties, allegedly bought with drug money, from the locker of an Ambala-based woman, who was arrested along with her accomplices in December 2017 in a drug peddling case.

Sleuths of the STF had arrested the accused, Sweety, her husband Baldev Singh along with aides Rakesh Kumar, Gurpreet Singh, Manoj Kumar, alias Mamu, and Simran Kaur, alias Indu, on December 6, 2017, in connection with supplying narcotics and had booked them under Sections 21, 29, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The police brought the accused, Sweety, on a production warrant from the Nabha jail and opened a locker, registered in her name at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Ambala after obtaining permission from the court.

STF SHO RD Sharma said, “During interrogation, it was found that the accused had hidden drugs and money in a bank locker. The locker was sealed and after obtaining legal permission, the locker was opened yesterday and the haul seized.”

The police said Sweety’s husband Baldev Singh used to peddle opium and was lodged in a Patiala jail. In prison, he came in contact with another notorious peddler, Manoj, alias Mamu, and together they were now running a network from the jail with the assistance of Sweety. The police said Sweety was arrested with 370 gm of heroin.

STF SP Rajinder Singh Sohal said, “The accused hails from Shalimar Colony in Ambala. We have traced four cases against her in Ambala, one in Mohali and investigation is on to trace the involvement in other cases of drug peddling in Punjab. Mamu, who hails from Muktsar and is currently lodged in the Ropar jail, has 12-13 cases registered against him and he was also questioned by the Jagraon police.”

The police said the accused used to procure narcotics from Delhi and supply these in various regions of Punjab, including Khanna, Sirhind, Jagraon, Chandigarh and Mohali, adding that the names of two youths from Dhanauri and a Nigerian national had come up as part of the nexus. The accused used the proceeds of drug sale to purchase gold and 12 properties, allegedly worth crores, in Ambala.

The police said the accused would be produced in the court. Her husband, Baldev Singh, has been shifted to the Bathinda jail.

Was let off after search in Delhi last year

STF officials said last year in May, Sweety, along with an accomplice, was stopped in a car by a police party in Delhi. However, they were let off as no narcotics were recovered after a search.

STF probing link with Nigerian nationals

STF officials said they were probing links with some Nigerian nationals, allegedly involved in supplying drugs from Delhi. An STF official said, “A Nigerian national was recently rounded up and another Nigerian, Ubi, named by the accused, is on the run. We will send a team to Delhi to nab the accomplices.”