Una cops act against drug peddlers, 2 arrested

Una Police yesterday raided four places, including the residence of two gangsters in the district who allegedly had links with the Punjab gangsters making ransom calls to businessmen in Una district.

SP Una Rakesh Singh, when contacted, said the SIT of the Una police arrested Rakesh Kaushal, a criminal involved in ransom activities, by bringing him on a production warrant from Ropar in Punjab. He was involved in ransom, mining, drug smuggling may be linked to gangsters of Punjab. He has been taken on five-day police remand till February 3. During interrogation, the SIT has received information about some suspects from the accused, he said.

Many businessmen, including jewellers and stone crusher owners, have been receiving threat calls from gangsters of Punjab demanding ransom.

The police raided the house of gangster Rajiv Kaushal in Dehlan village in Una and gangster Mani's house in Bathu and Gagret area. The SP said that Rajiv Kaushal has several cases of murder and robbery registered against him in Himachal and Punjab. Accused Mani has also been an accomplice of gangster Rajiv Kaushal in many criminal cases. Currently, he is imprisoned in Kandaghat jail of Himachal. Rajiv Kaushal's link with Lawrence Vishnoi is a matter of investigation, the SP said.

He further said that the police also raided the house of a person named Harpreet Singh Dhillon located in Saloh village in Una. During search, 367 grams of opium and Rs 2 lakh drug money were recovered from Harpreet Singh's house. After seizing the consignment of drugs and cash, the police registered a case and arrested the accused. He was produced in the court and taken on police remand.

Mining cases are already registered against Harpreet Singh, alias Dhillon. Police was probing possible links of Harpreet with the gangsters of Punjab who were making ransom calls to businessmen in Una, the SP said.

The Jalandhar police had recently arrested a henchman Manjot Singh, alias Mani, who was working for a gangster of Punjab. He accepted in custody of Punjab police that he accepted Rs 50,000 in advance for killing a businessman of Una. He admitted having got Rs 50,000 in advance but he got arrested before he could execute the killing.

In the absence of any complaint in the ransom case, police itself became the complainant. If anyone receives such threats, he can give information on a confidential basis, added SP Una.