Mumbai police fail to bring druglord Bhola to Patiala

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 1

The Mumbai police failed to produce druglord Jagdish Bhola for a court hearing here in the Rs6,000 crore synthetic drug racket. It is learnt that the Mumbai police were busy due to the handing of Yakub Memon.

The local court had issued Bhola’s production warrants in the last hearing. The court has now issued summons to 11 others, including the father, wife and other relatives of Bhola.

Niranjan Singh, Assistant Director, ED, was in the city today. He told the court that the Mumbai police could not bring Bhola as they were busy in making security arrangements in Mumbai for the past few days. After hearing the ED officials, the court issued fresh warrants for personal appearance of Bhola on August 28, the next date of hearing.

During the last hearing, Niranjan Singh had filed the third supplementary challan that pointed out that drug money was invested abroad. The court today issued summons to Jagdish Bhola’s father Balshinder Singh, mother Baltej Kaur, wife Gurmeet Kaur, father-in-law Daleep Singh Mann, mother-in-law Amarjeet Kaur, besides Gurmeet Kaur, Jagminder Kaur, wife of YAD leader Maninder Singh Bittu Aulakh, Joginder Kaur, a relative of Aulakh, Avtar Singh alias Tari, his wife Sundeep Kaur and Baljit Singh.

The challan also claimed that the money was allegedly invested by Balshinder in some properties. The challan has not been made public yet. Sources confirmed the challan linked the role of these 11 persons with the previously named 13.

The first challan in the case was filed by the ED against suspended DSP Jagdish Bhola on January 13 last year. Twelve more persons were named in the supplementary challan.

Bhola’s counsel Satish Karkra said the ED was yet to submit the entire list of the accused.