Scanner on Police-smuggler nexus: In 3 years, 60 cops booked for ‘links’ with drug traffickers
Inderjit Singh Inderjit Singh
The arrest of Punjab Police Inspector Inderjit Singh and the seizure of four kg heroin and three kg smack from his two houses has once again put the spotlight on the alleged nexus between the state police and the drug peddlers. Over the past three years, 60 drug cases have been registered against Punjab Police personnel, while over two dozen paramilitary personnel have been booked in such cases in Punjab.
The alleged nexus first hit the headlines in 2013 with the arrest of dismissed Punjab Police DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola in the Rs 6000 crore synthetic drug racket. According to police records, several inspectors, home guards, constables, DSPs, BSF and customs department personnel have been arrested in drugs cases since 2014.
Even two senior Punjab Police officer, including one of IG-rank and one SP-rank officer, had to join investigation conducted by the ED in one such case. Most of these cases were registered during the previous SAD-BJP government.
Speaking on the issues a while back, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Chief Sunil Jakhar had pointed out Minister of State Home Kiren Rijiju’s statement on arrest of Punjab Police officials in drug related cases, “Rijiju in reply to a question in Parliament had said that from 2014 to March 2016 total 55 cases were registered about the involvement of Punjab Police and paramilitary forces over drug menace in the state in which 54 Punjab Police personnel were booked and nearly 15 other paramilitary personnel in Punjab were booked and arrested.”
A senior state police officer on Wednesday said: “Now the number of Punjab Police personnel booked in drug cases is close to 60.” He added that before Inderjit and Ajayab Singh, one CID officer was also arrested in March this year with heroin and opium. Interestingly, Inspector Inderjit Singh himself had played a major role in busting several big drug cases, including Rs 200-crore synthetic drug case in 2012.
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