For their alleged links with a drug racket busted after the March 3 arrest of NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon, the Punjab Police on Thursday dismissed international boxer Ram Singh from the post of head constable, besides a sub-inspector named Sarabjit Singh who is absconding since March 26 when a drug haul was made from his house in Nayagaon near Chandigarh.
Since his arrest from Fatehgarh Sahib, Kahlon has led the police to hundreds of crores worth of contraband and over a dozen gang members. He had named Ram and Olympic medallist boxer Vijender Singh as his clients, which brought the duo into focus.
Quizzed, Ram had allegedly confessed that he and Vijender had "tried out" heroin after procuring it "four-five times" from their "friend" Kahlon, but had denied knowing that Kahlon was a smuggler. Vijender, who has the post of DSP in Haryana and was thus quizzed in Panchkula, did not deny having met Kahlon but rubbished claims that he had taken heroin. After Vijender refused to give his hair and blood samples to establish if he took the drug, the police are now mulling moving court to get the samples.
COP HARBOURED KINGPIN
As for SI Sarabjit, he is alleged to have harboured the smuggling racket's kingpin, Jagdish Singh Bhola, after the latter gave the cops the slip on March 7 during a raid at his Mohali house. On cue by the apprehended suspects, the police raided Sarabjit's house in Nayagaon on March 26 night and claimed to have recovered 2.6kg heroin besides some narcotics powder. Police said that 10 empty cartridges of AK-47 rifle, a .12-bore gun and 11 mobile phones and two laptops were also found and seized from the house of Sarabjit, who is a native of village Mehta of Barnala.
COP HARBOURED KINGPIN
As for SI Sarabjit, he is alleged to have harboured the smuggling racket's kingpin, Jagdish Singh Bhola, after the latter gave the cops the slip on March 7 during a raid at his Mohali house. On cue by the apprehended suspects, the police raided Sarabjit's house in Nayagaon on March 26 night and claimed to have recovered 2.6kg heroin besides some narcotics powder. Police said that 10 empty cartridges of AK-47 rifle, a .12-bore gun and 11 mobile phones and two laptops were also found and seized from the house of Sarabjit, who is a native of village Mehta of Barnala.
It is alleged that Sarabjit was an active member of the gang and was primarily tasked with arranging hideouts for Bhola. Investigation has reportedly revealed that after Bhola -- a former Arjuna Awardee international wrestler who also served Punjab Police before dismissal over his drug cases - fled his Mohali house on March 7, he went to the house of Sarabjit on March 11 from where he made calls to his associates using a mobile phone registered in the name of Sarabjit's wife Reet Sidhu.
The spokesperson said after the matter was examined at the police headquarters on Thursday, the Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) dismissed SI Sarabjit from service. As for Ram, the Fatehgarh Sahib police sent a report to his parent unit, the 2nd Commando Battalion, and he was dismissed.
The police on Thursday also claimed to have recovered 10kg narcotics powder used as a "rave drug" worth Rs 10 crore on a tip-off from former militant Kulbir Singh of Karnal, who is one of the people arrested in the case so far.