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Drugs case: Dismissed Punjab woman constable a ‘tough nut to crack’: Investigators
Amandeep was arrested on Badal Road in Bathinda city after police recovered 17.71gm heroin from a black SUV she was driving.
A Bathinda district court on Sunday extended the police remand of dismissed senior police constable Amandeep Kaur, who was arrested on April 2 on drug smuggling charges, by two days.
Officials close to the investigation say that she is proving to be a ‘tough nut to crack’ and they are yet to get a lead about the narcotics smuggling.
Amandeep was arrested on Badal Road in Bathinda city after police recovered 17.71gm heroin from a black SUV she was driving.
The officials said four mobile phones recovered from the accused, two from her car and two from her home, have been sent to Digital Investigation Training and Analysis Centre (DITAC) in Mohali, for retrieving old data to establish her alleged links with drug trade and ‘patronage’ of state government functionaries.
A police official in know of the details of the arrest said Amandeep had tried to influence the police team at the time, claiming to be a ‘confidant’ of a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer in Punjab.
The officials said no incriminating evidence was recovered from the phones seized from her car on prima facie examination.
“Police recovered two more phones from her residence at a posh colony in Bathinda’s Multania Road area. The phones have been sent to DITAC to recover deleted data and analyse it to examine her links with drug traffickers and police personnel,” said a police official, requesting not to be identified.
The officials said details from the revenue department, regional transport authority (RTA) and banks are awaited to examine the accused’s assets.
‘Lifestyle beyond her means’
The investigators say the dismissed cop was leading a lifestyle that may be beyond her known financial means.
“An expensive watch was recovered from her house. We are gathering details from various banks and their branches in Bathinda district,” said the official.
“Ownership details of the house on Multania Road where Amandeep was residing are being verified. A team is examining ownership of a plot in the Adarsh Nagar area and another plot in a private colony on the ring road. Efforts are on to ascertain the ownership of an old Audi car, a couple of SUVs, a Royal Enfield motorbike and a scooter. We are also looking into who was using these vehicles,” the official added.
‘Humble background’
The accused cop, a native of Chak Fateh Singh Wala village, hails from a ‘humble’ rural family. She joined the police force in 2011 and has been transferred 31 times since.
When she was arrested last week, Amandeep was working under the Mansa police but was attached to the Bathinda police lines.
Officials said she had been working as a record keeper at the civil hospital at police lines since November last year.
“Amandeep was fond of a luxurious lifestyle and was often seen driving a (Mahindra) Thar SUV at the hospital. It was her second term at the hospital since 2020. She was given comfortable postings and assignments due to patronage of a senior IPS officer. She is not revealing much about her links with influential persons,” those close to the investigation said.
One Gurmeet Kaur, a resident of Bathinda, had alleged in public last week that the accused had an extramarital affair with her estranged husband, Balwinder Singh.
“Gurmeet Kaur tipped off the Bathinda police and the anti-narcotics task force (ANTF) about Amandeep’s involvement in drug trade,” an official said. After investigation, police nominated Balwinder Singh in the case as well.
Balwinder was at the district court complex on Friday and clashed with his estranged wife in the presence of police on Friday. He was subdued by the police.
According to the first-information report (FIR) registered after a complaint by assistant sub-inspector Manjeet Singh, Amandeep tried to flee when she spotted the police.
Amandeep has an Instagram account, and her following has skyrocketed since her arrest.
Her page, that has 349 reels, had around 30,000 followers on April 4, a number that crossed 79,000 as on Sunday evening.
In multiple videos on the account, she is seen wearing a police uniform and flaunting her lifestyle.
