Unfazed by threats, anti-drug panel nabs another peddler

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Muktsar, August 13

After getting threats or even attacked, anti-drug committee members are working relentlessly in the district. For instance, the committee of Sahib Chand village today nabbed a peddler with 480 sedative pills and handed over him to the police.

One of his accomplices, a former sarpanch who had supplied him the pills, managed to flee. The man arrested has been identified as Jagsir Singh of Chottian village. He is already facing some cases under the NDPS Act.

Local residents are providing fuel free of cost to these committee members, all youngsters, to boost their morale and help them in keeping a vigil in and around their area. Further, the state government has decided to honour an anti-drug committee member, Satnam Singh, on the Independence Day.

He had suffered a murderous attack on Saturday after a peddler opened fire at him at Kotli Ablu village here. Two days after the attack, the Muktsar police today claimed to have arrested the attacker, Karanvir Singh alias Happy Sandhu and seized a.32 bore pistol and seven cartridges.

In the last about two months, the anti-drug committees have nabbed nearly 25 drug addicts and peddlers and handed them over to the police.

Members help addict’s kin

The members of an anti-drug committee of Ghagga village are helping the father of a 20-year-old boy, who was hooked to “chitta” and presently admitted to a private de-addiction centre at Hanumangarh in Rajasthan for treatment.

The youngsters, Harman Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Sukhi, Honey Gill and Dharampal Sharma, are even plucking weed from the paddy fields of the addict’s family.

“The addicted youth’s father had asked us that who would help him in farming, if he admitted his son to the de-addiction centre. We offered him help and he agreed to get his son treated,” said Harman Singh.

Two lakh sedative pills seized

Bathinda: The district police today conducted a raid at a godown at Transport Nagar near Kartar Colony and seized around two lakh tablets. The police got a tip-off that drug smuggler Sunil Kumar alias Sonu of Maur Mandi, who was arrested following the recovery of 10.67 lakh tablets last month, had kept another consignment in a godown at Transport Nagar. TNS