Three cops walk free in Moga drug case

Tribune News Service

Moga, September 21

Additional District and Sessions Judge Tarsem Mangla today acquitted all three accused policemen in the case of recovery of drugs from the Nathuwala police post (Moga) after the prosecution failed to prove the charges against them.

ASI Jarnail Singh, incharge of the Nathuwala police post, and munshi Jasbir Singh were arrested on the intervening night of September 6 and 7, 2013, while Head Constable Devinder Singh, alias Billa, had fled. Later, he was also arrested, but he died of cancer about four years ago.

As many as 168 kg of poppy husk, 66 bottles of liquor and Rs 46,000 were recovered from the police post. An FIR under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act and Section 61 of the Punjab Excise Act was registered against the trio at the Baghapurana police station.

KJS Dhillon was the SSP of Moga when the case was registered. The police filed a challan on May 5, 2014, but later sought permission to reinvestigate the case. The court had given its nod. But the reinvestigation report was not submitted before the court till the day of the final verdict. Dhillon had been accused of taking bribe from these policemen for helping them in the case.

Both ASI Jarnail Singh and Head Constable Jasvir Singh were initially dismissed from service. However, after a fresh probe conducted by then SP (D) Harjit Singh Pannu, they were given the clean chit and allowed to join duty.

With the permission of the then SSP Jatinder Singh Khaira, Pannu filed the cancellation report in the court, but the court declined to entertain it. Subsequently, charges were framed against the trio.

The court observed: “Ironically, though the prosecution satisfied itself by examining only nine witnesses to conclude the prosecution evidence on February 22, 2018, the accused have examined as many as 31 witnesses in defence besides tendering scores of documents in defence.”