Mann shifted, Patiala police to complete probe in drug case now

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 9

The state government has decided to detach Hardyal Mann, the top police officer handling cases related to drug lord Jagdish Singh Bhola and his estimated Rs 6,000-crore drug trade, from these cases. Now, the Patiala police will complete all formalities in these cases, even as the Enforcement Directorate continues with a separate investigation.

Over 20 cases related to Jagdish Bhola are filed in the high court. The police are yet to arrest NRIs and others whose names cropped up during the investigation.

In March 2013, the name of Jagdish Singh Bhola surfaced when the Fatehgarh Sahib police, headed by then SSP Hardyal Mann, in coordination with the intelligence wing, arrested NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon and seized 26 kg drugs, worth Rs 130 crore in the international market. Later, when Mann was transferred as the Patiala SSP in May 2013, he was allowed to continue with the investigations.

Last week, Mann was transferred as the SSP, Ferozepur. During his stint as the Patiala SSP, Mann handled the entire investigation into the drug nexus and busted many international drug chains operating from six states in the country.

Sources said the case had become a major bone of contention among various political lobbies and the state police. Instead of earning praise for the state police, it created a political storm when a Central agency summoned a Punjab minister for questioning, who was never summoned or questioned by the state police.

While the police failed to name or give out anything concrete against any top politician, the Enforcement Directorate took the matters in its hands. At present, it is probing the alleged role of top politicians from Punjab in the drug racket.

New Patiala SSP Gurmeet Chauhan now faces an uphill task to complete all pending investigations besides ensuring that the accused named in various challans are arrested at the earliest.

Chauhan says he would ensure that NRIs and others wanted in the case were arrested soon. “My focus is on coordinating with three agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate, and ensure that all guilty are put behind bars,” he said.Hardyal Mann refused to speak on the issue.