Six days after busting a major interstate drug networking racket along with Moga police and seizing 72 Quintals poppy husk packed in 180 bags hidden under raw bananas in a truck, Jalandhar counter intelligence wing and Anandpur Sahib police arrested kingpin Jagdev Singh alias Deban of Moga's Daulewala village on Sunday along with three accomplices.In a statement, AIG Counter Intelligence Mr. HPS Khakh told that his team was keeping a close vigil on the activities of absconded smugglers and received a specific tip-off about them which he immediately shared with SSP Rupnagar Mr Swapan Sharma that these smugglers came back to Punjab after few days of hideout, they are suspected to be in Sri Anandpur Sahib town.Mr Khakh further stated later the various teams of Anandpur Sahib Police alerted and one of police party intercepted a white Scorpio car and apprehend four persons namely Jagdev Singh s/o Surat Singh and his accomplices Gurdev Singh s/o Bhagwan Singh of Kot Isse Khan, Gurwinder Singh alias Jindu s/o Ajit Singh, Lakhwinder Singh alias Kaku s/o Tehal Singh from Daulewala village in Moga district.AIG also revealed that 25 gram of intoxicant powder had also been recovered from Jagdev Singh and a case FIR No. 106 under section 22, 61, 85 of NDPS Act was registered against four of them in PS Sri Anandpur Sahib District Rupnagar.
Mr Khakh stated that during the preliminary investigation, it has come to notice that Jagdev was a big fish of Poppy Husk smuggling in Punjab and was involved in the drug trade since 1990. Moreover, Nearly, 10 cases of NDPS ACT and other Sections of IPC were registered against Jagdev in different Police Stations of Punjab, he added.He disclosed that a new trend has been witnessed during the interrogation of the accused that they are paying drug money through “Hawala” operators of Punjab to their counterparts in Rajasthan and this link would also be investigated during interrogation as this is something dangerous.He told that all of them would be taken on remand for further investigation regarding module of Hawala racket and other accomplices.It is pertinent to mention here that on August 6, Jalandhar Counter Intelligence and Moga police arrested two persons of this gang, who were smuggling poppy husk from Rajasthan to Punjab. The cops had impounded a truck loaded with 180 bags of poppy husk.Both accused were identified as Dharamjit Singh s/o Surjit Singh resident of village Landeke district Mogaand Gurbir Singh s/o Gurjant Singh resident of village Rattian in district Moga.