Interstate drug rackets being run from jails busted

AMRITSAR: The special task force (STF) of Punjab Police on Monday busted an interstate drug racket, which was allegedly controlled from the central jail here, with the arrest of three people.

The racket was being run by Sajan Kumar, alias Daddu, who is booked in 26 cases and is lodged in the central jail, with the help of another inmate, Peter Ejifar, a Nigerian, said Rachhpal Singh, assistant inspector general (AIG) of the STF, at a press conference.

He said they had a clue of a module that supplied heroin from Delhi after Mandeep Singh “Mendi” of Amritsar’s Mohkampura locality, Jasbir Singh “Lali” of Batala and Chainchal Singh “Chan” of Sanjay Gandhi colony, were arrested with 260gm heroin a few days ago.

“Peter had connections with drug smugglers in Delhi. Jasbir, who is sewer man in Delhi municipal corporation, was the handler of the racket outside the jail and used to send Mendi to Delhi to receive heroin and use Chan to supply narcotics in Amritsar,” said the AIG, adding that they were active since the past six months. Peter will be interrogated to get more leads in the case, the police official said.

DSP (STF) BL Singla said the drug might have been supplied from J&K. On June 8, the STF arrested one Maninder Singh “Soni” of Mughal Chak village in Tarn Taran district. The police stopped his car in the Chheherta area and recovered 260gm of heroin. His aide Jagjit Singh of Hawelian village managed to flee, said inspector Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa.

The police found out that his aide is in touch with one Baba Rashid of UP who is lodged in the Patiala jail.