4 COPS BOOKED FOR PILFERING SEIZED POPPY HUSK IN MOGA
STF INDICTED THEM An inspector, 2 head constables and a constable mixed animal feed in bags of contraband seized in May 2017; sources say they sold the drug for ₹10 lakh
Acting on a report of Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police, four cops — inspector Gurpiar Singh, head constables Resham Singh and Lal Chand, constable Gurdeep Singh — and an unidentified person have been booked for pilfering poppy husk seized in May 2017. The accused cops allegedly mixed animal feed in the bags of contraband to compensate for the weight loss and fool the department. shortstories
: Acting on a report of Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police, four cops — inspector Gurpiar Singh, head constables Resham Singh and Lal Chand, constable Gurdeep Singh — and an unidentified person have been booked for pilfering poppy husk seized in May 2017.
The accused cops allegedly mixed animal feed in the bags of contraband to compensate for the weight loss and fool the department.
The inquiry has indicted inspector Gurpiar for misusing his official position for illegal financial gain and also misleading senior officials. The three cops acted as his accomplices, the report says.
The STF had received a complaint from Surjit Singh of Ranian village in Moga district under the Badhni Kalan police station, alleging that inspector Gurpiar Singh mixed animal feed into seven bags of poppy husk the police had seized on May 29, 2017.
An inquiry was marked to Ludhiana range AIG (STF) Snehdeep Sharma and the report was sought within a week.
The inquiry report revealed that the inspector Gurpiar Singh and other cops came to Moga on May 28, 2017, noon and returned to Landeke village immediately in a private car where they stopped biker Harjinder Singh and then a Tata Ace (small truck), from which 15 bags of poppy husk were seized.
The truck was being driven by Harjinder’s father Baljit Singh. As per the inquiry report, on May 29, 2017, Gurpiar Singh gave ₹3,000 to head constable Lal Chand to bring three quintal of cattle feed to his house.
The inquiry report said Gurpiar misled his seniors telling them that the poppy husk was seized on May 29, 2017, whereas the recovery was made on May 28, 2017. A departmental inquiry against the inspector is pending with superintendent of police (investigation), Moga.
The AIG (STF) Ludhiana range submitted the report to Bathinda zone inspector general (STF) and also to the director general of police office. The DGP office directed Badhni Kalan SHO to register a case and further probe will be conducted by Nihal Singh Wala deputy superintendent of police Subegh Singh.
Moga SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana confirmed the development, adding that no arrest has been made in the case. A case against the cops has been registered under Section 59 of the NDPS Act, Section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record) of the IPC and 13(1)(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Moga Badhni Kalan police station.