Two more accused of snatching heroin from drug peddler held

MOHALI: Two days after the Special Task Force (STF) of the Punjab Police arrested five people for allegedly snatching 300 gm heroin and extorting ₹8 lakh from a drug trafficker while posing as STF personnel, the force arrested their two accomplices.

The duo has been identified as Sukhpreet Singh alias Harry of Bathinda and Vakil Singh alias Kala Sarpanch of Sri Muktsar Sahib.

Earlier on Friday, sub-inspector Sushil Kumar and constable Gagandeep Singh (both posted with counter-intelligence subunit, Mansa), head constable Jarnail Singh and constable Harjit Singh (both posted with Muktsar subunit)and Gagandeep Singh Maan, a resident of Kharar, were arrested for snatching heroin from a drug peddler, Narinder Singh.

STF sources said Maan had been dealing with the trafficker for drug smuggling, and conspired with Harjit and Sushi to extort money from Narinder. “They believed Narinder was an easy target, who will never expose them and they could continue extorting money and drugs from him,” they added.

STF superintendent of police Rajinder Singh Sohal said they were working to break the nexus between drug traffickers and police, and will take action against rogue elements in law enforcement agencies.

The Mohali unit of STF had arrested Narinder with 550 gm heroin and ₹4 lakh on June 4. In his disclosure, Narinder, who hails from Patiala, told the police that some counter-intelligence cops had extorted money from him by posing as the Fazilka unit of STF. The accused stopped Narinder’s vehicle in Lalru posing as STF personnel and forcibly took him towards Fatehgarh Sahib. They first snatched heroin from the trafficker and later extorted ₹8 lakh from him, before letting him go.