Former head munshi among two convicted in opium smuggling case

The Court of Manila Chugh, Additional Sessions Judge, Ludhiana, has convicted Gobind Singh (32), former head munshi at the Raikot police station, and Naseeb Singh (42), a resident of Nangal Khurd village in Pakhowal, Ludhiana district, in a narcotics smuggling case involving an attempt to send opium to Canada.

The court found the duo guilty of criminal conspiracy and illegal transportation of narcotics, sentencing them to three years of rigorous imprisonment, imposing a fine of Rs 30,000 each.

Special Public Prosecutor LS Rai said the case was registered following a complaint filed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh, through its Intelligence Officer Karamvir Singh. The NCB got a tip-off on April 15, 2024, indicating the presence of a suspicious parcel at the DHL facility on GT Road, Dhandari Khurd, here. The parcel was allegedly to be sent to a Punjabi in Canada.

Upon this, a team comprising of the NCB raided the courier company office to examine the consignment. Two hockey stick covers were discovered. When one of the covers was opened, a hockey stick with a detachable black cap was found. The cap appeared to be slightly separated from the grip, raising suspicion.

Upon removing the cap, the officials noticed that the hockey stick was hollow, with black-brown opium tightly packed inside. The stick was cut open, leading to the recovery of 15 stick-shaped packets wrapped in black tape, containing opium.

Subsequent investigation revealed that booking details of the parcel, including Aadhaar card and driving licence of Naseeb, were attached to the shipment. The authorisation for export shipment bore his signature, confirming his involvement. Further, probe linked Gobind Singh, the former head munshi at the Raikot police station, to the smuggling network.

During the trial, the prosecution argued that the accused were part of an organised drug smuggling syndicate that attempted to export narcotics to Canada under the guise of sports implement.

However, the court acquitted two co-accused, Amritpal Singh of Rattowal village, Ludhiana, and Gurcharan Singh of Nangal Khurd village, Pakhowal, citing lack of substantial evidence against them.