5-day remand for accused in heroin haul

Mohali, December 7

The NIA brought on production warrant two persons in the smuggling of 532-kg heroin worth Rs 2,700 crore and produced them in an NIA court here today. The court remanded the two accused, Sandeep Kaur and Nirbhail Singh, to five-day police custody.

NIA senior prosecutor Surinder Singh argued that various aspects of the case were to be inquired and they hoped to get vital information regarding the cross-border narcotics smuggling.

Defense counsels Raja Paramdeep Singh Saini and Nirmaljit Singh, opposing the police remand, said the accused had been in jail for months and the police had interrogated them several times. They further argued that when the case was handed over to the NIA, then why the investigating agency had not interrogated the accused by taking them into custody. They said the NIA instead of arresting the culprits was harassing poor people. — TNS