Drug probe: SIT for prosecution of 13

Jupinderjit Singh 

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

No politician has been named in the over 1,500-page report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to look into the Punjab drugs scandal. The report has been prepared after an investigation lasting more than 17 months during which the data record of dozens of phones  and personal computers of top 20 smugglers was analysed. Thirteen of them were questioned afresh.  

The SIT, formed during the Akali-BJP regime, submitted its report to a Mohali court last week after the Congress government assumed power in Punjab. Significantly, the Congress had in its manifesto promised to end the drug menace within four weeks of coming to power.

The SIT has found enough evidence for further  prosecution of  13 of the 20 alleged smugglers, but is mum on one. The cases of six others can be pursued only after their arrest. Phone calls and computer data point towards a well-coordinated, inter-connected drug cartel. Important evidence may have been lost as phone companies keep data records only for a year.

Nevertheless, the SIT has traced conversations between certain smugglers who interacted through code names. Besides Punjab, drugs were being smuggled into Gujarat cities, Hyderabad and abroad. 

A large network transported drugs like ephedrine and methamphetamine in expensive SUVs using fake VIP numbers and documents.

On October 10, 2015, the High Court had, while disposing of a bunch of petitions by the accused smugglers, ordered that an SIT  be formed for re-examination, re-consideration and further investigation of the organised drugs racket.  It had said there was an unexplained silence on efforts made after 2013-14 to nab the drug traffickers and there were several gaps in the existing investigation reports, whether deliberate or otherwise.

List of accused smugglers

• Satinder Dhama of Panchkula
• Baljinder Singh, alias Sonu, of Kathu Nangal, Amritsar
• Former Punjab DSP Jagdish Singh, alias Bhola, of Mohali
• Former Punjab sub-inspector Sarabjit Singh, alias Saba, of Kathu Nangal, Amritsar
• Jagjit Singh Chahal of Romana Chak, Amritsar
• Maninder Singh Aulakh, alias Bittu, of Vairo Ke, Amritsar
• Deep Singh, alias Deepu, of P’kula
• Paramjit Singh, alias Pamma, of Kathu Nangal, Amritsar
• Paramjit Singh Chahal of Romana Chak, Amritsar
• Surjit Singh of Swarup Nagar, Delhi
• Harminder Singh of Jalandhar, resident of Patel Nagar, Delhi
• Devinder Singh, alias Happy, from Bathinda
• Anil Chawan, alias Ravi, of Goa

Those on the run

• Sarabjit Singh, dismissed sub-inspector, Naya Gaon, Mohali
• Amninder Chhina, alias Laddi Chhina, of Amritsar, now resident of Canada
• Amarjit Singh Koonar of  Adampur (Jalandhar), now resident of Canada
• Lehmbar Singh of Phillaur, now resident of Canada
• Pardeep Singh of Jagraon
• Rajwinder Singh, alias Raja, of Rudrapur, Uttarakhand