HC orders CBI probe on plea of Jalandhar bizman

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe on the plea of a Jalandhar businessman, who had alleged frame-up by police in a drug-seizure case.

The accused, Abhishek Chetal, deals in shawl business and has business interests in Pakistan. The police had claimed that they recovered 500gm heroin and ₹39 lakh from him on November 9, 2016. He had petitioned for a CBI probe in December 2016, claiming that he was picked a day before from a different place and the drug was planted on him.

While ordering the CBI probe, justice Daya Chaudhary observed “...it appears that compliance of mandatory provisions of the NDPS Act have been violated and investigation of the case has not been done in the manner it is required,” asking the CBI to depute a SP-rank official for probe within eight weeks.

The HC also directed chief secretary and home secretary, Punjab, to help the CBI. As government agencies claimed lack of resources for the probe, the court also accepted the accused’s offer to provide ₹5 lakh for the purpose and asked him to deposit the money with the high court registry.

The court observed that despite specific direction to Bureau of Investigation, Punjab, certain facts as to how CCTV footage (9:20pm) of November 8, 2016, from a toll plaza in Dhilwan (a place between Amritsar and Jalandhar) showed the accused and the investigating officials with their cars present, had not been probed. The accused had claimed that he was picked up from the toll plaza. Also, the call records of police officials in question and the accused have not been examined despite allegations that this toll and the place from where he was shown to be arrested are 30km away.

The accused had claimed that on November 8 he had gone to Amritsar and was carrying stock of shawls. He had admitted that cash belonged to him. While returning, his vehicle was stopped by cops at the toll and he was taken to a police station in Amritsar. “He was threatened, forced and coerced to make selfincriminating disclosures. He was also compelled to hand over the cash... Beatings were also given to him. The next day he was shown carrying ₹39 lakh ‘drug money’ and false recovery of 500gram heroin,” his counsel, criminal lawyer Deepak Sabharwal, had told court.

“The CCTV coverage is clearly reflecting the number and make of the car, but as per CFSL report, the number of the car has been shown as not visible. The contradictions and variations, which are apparent, require to be investigated further,” the court said.