Drug cartel kingpin with US link held after police encounter in Punjab’s Jagraon
Ludhiana Rural SSP Ankur Gupta says the accused, Roshan Singh, is suspected of operating on the directions of a man named Rajput, believed to be orchestrating the drug trade from the US. His arrest could lead to significant revelations about cross-border and international drug networks.
A team of the Ludhiana Rural police arrested Roshan Singh, the kingpin of drug smuggling cartel, after an encounter in Jagraon sub division of Ludhiana district early on Tuesday. Roshan Singh, who belongs to Wara Bhai Ka village in Ferozepur district, was intercepted by the police at Chuharchak village near Gurusar Kaunke while he was on his way to deliver a heroin consignment.
Police officials said the accused, who was riding a high-end motorcycle, turned back sharply on spotting the police patrol vehicle. In the process, his motorcycle skidded and he fell off. Before the police could detain him, he pulled out two pistols from his bag and opened fire at the patrol team. The police retaliated and fired thrice at him. One of bullets hit him in the right leg after which he was overpowered and taken to the civil hospital in Jagraon for treatment.
Ludhiana Rural senior superintendent of police Ankur Gupta, who reached the encounter site, said that the operation was a continuation of a breakthrough achieved a day earlier. On Sunday, three drug peddlers, including Amritpal Singh of Ajitwal, Sarabjit Singh and Ravinder Singh, both from Dhudike, were arrested while they were en route to delivering heroin consignments. During interrogation, they revealed that Roshan Singh was their main supplier and link to a larger drug trafficking network.
“Roshan Singh is suspected of operating on the directions of a man named Rajput, believed to be orchestrating the drug trade from the United States,” the SSP said, adding, “His arrest and the material recovered from him could lead to significant revelations about cross-border and international drug networks.”
The SSP said that Roshan Singh was involved in receiving consignments of heroin smuggled from across the Pakistan border and distributing them within Punjab. His name had emerged repeatedly during the questioning of other accused in similar cases.
The police also recovered two country-made pistols from the accused.
