Akali sarpanch held with 4kg heroin, pistol

AMANDEEP SINGH, SARPANCH OF TATHA VILLAGE OF TARN TARAN, ARRESTED IN MOHALI; WANTED IN SIX CASES OF SMUGGLING

TARN TARAN: The Tarn Taran police have arrested an Akali sarpanch of the district and recovered 4 kg heroin and a .9mm pistol from one of his residences in Patti.

Accused Amandeep Singh, sarpanch of Tatha village of Patti constituency, was arrested from Mohali on Saturday, following a tip-off.

Addressing a press conference here, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Darshan Singh Mann said the accused is a notorious smuggler and a proclaimed offender (PO). He is wanted in six cases of smuggling in Punjab and Rajasthan, including the recovery

of 34.6-kg heroin made by directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) in Amritsar in 2014.

Mann said Chohla Sahib SHO Sukhraj Singh got a tip off that the accused was spotted in Mohali. “Soon after getting the information, a team, led by the SHO, left for Mohali and arrested the

accused from a flat in Sante Majra area.”

During his interrogation, the accused told the police that he had kept around 4 kg heroin and a pistol at his Patti residence, which were later recovered by the police.

Mann said the accused had contacts with a Pakistani smuggler and was active in smuggling drugs. He said further investigations are on and more recoveries are expected.

He said a case under Section 174 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 21, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act has been registered against him at Patti police station.