Bid to smuggle drugs to undertrial foiled at Ludhiana district courts

Police thwarted a drug smuggling attempt at Ludhiana court, seizing narcotics from undertrial Harpreet Singh; the supplier escaped.

Police on Thursday foiled an attempt to smuggle narcotics to an undertrial prisoner inside the Ludhiana district court complex, after recovering intoxicant capsules and smack from his possession. The suspected supplier, however, managed to escape amid the crowd.

Sixteen intoxicant capsules and 45 mg of smack were recovered from Harpreet Singh’s possession. (HT File)

The undertrial has been identified as Harpreet Singh, alias Happy, a resident of Doraha, who is already lodged in jail in a drug peddling case. He had been brought to court for a scheduled hearing when the incident took place.

According to officials, head constable Vipin Kumar of the Khanna police lines was part of the escort team deployed at the court premises. After the hearing, as personnel were re-handcuffing the accused, an unidentified man allegedly emerged from the crowd and discreetly slipped a plastic packet to him before disappearing.

Sensing suspicious movement, the head constable immediately restrained Harpreet and conducted a search. Sixteen intoxicant capsules and 45 mg of smack were recovered from his right pocket and seized on the spot.

A fresh case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the undertrial at Division Number 5 police station. Police have launched a manhunt for the absconding suspect and are scanning CCTV footage from the court complex to establish his identity.