Punjab: Akali leader held for ‘links’ with smugglers, gangsters

The Amritsar commissionerate police have arrested former Amritsar-rural district’s Student Organisation of India —student division of Shiromani Akali Dal —president for his alleged involvement in a narco-gangster nexus case

The Amritsar commissionerate police have arrested former Amritsar-rural district’s student organisation of India (SOI)—student division of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)—president for his alleged involvement in a narco-gangster nexus case busted on Friday.

The accused was arrested on Saturday evening after his links emerged with those associated with notorious gangsters of Punjab. (HT Photo)

The accused, Tejbir Singh of Nangli village falling under the Attari assembly constituency, who is reportedly close to many senior SAD leaders, was arrested on Saturday evening after his links emerged with those associated with notorious gangsters of Punjab.

The nexus was busted a team of Amritsar-city police headed by additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-city3) Abhimanyu Rana, with the arrest of one Gurjit Singh of Housing Board Colony in Amritsar on Friday. Assistant commissioner of police (ACP-detective) Gurinderpal Singh Nagra and inspector of crime investigation agency (CIA), Amritsar, Amandeep Singh are the members of the team. Gurjit was arrested on the basis of a secret information and 100 gm of heroin was recovered from his possession. Gurjit had ‘confessed’ to the police that the heroin was supplied to him through various unknown persons by notorious slain gangster Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Ghanshyampuria’s brother gangster Manpreet alias Manu of Ghanshaympur and gangster Balwinder Singh alias Doni.“Gurjit has also told us that the heroin he had got from gangsters Manu and Doni, was to be supplied further to Tejbir Singh. On the basis of Gurjit’s disclosure statement, Tejbir has been arrested. We will question him during his remand to break the chain of the entire nexus,” said ADCP Rana. The local court has granted Tejbir’s two day remand.

One of the officers of the investigating teams said, “Preliminary, we have traced Tejbir’s links with gangster Doni, who is wanted in several criminal cases, including of murders. Doni remained close associate of slain gangster Rana Kandowalia. Similarly, Tejbir was also closely associated with Kandowalia.” He said, “Tejbir is a forward link in the module. During his questioning, it will come to the fore that since when he was working in the network and to whom the heroin was being supplied.”

Doni, who is now associated with Bambiha gang, is also a prime accused in the brutal killing case of gangster Jarnail Singh. Jarnail, a weight lifter, was shot dead by four armed assailants in his Sathiala village of Amritsar rural district in May this year. In August 2021, gangster Rana Kandowalia was shot dead in a private hospital of Amritsar allegedly by the gang members of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. When Rana was shot dead, Tejbir had also suffered a bullet injury. Tejbir had also opened fire towards the assailants of Kandowalia and one of them was injured in the firing.

SAD spokesperson and former MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha said, “Tejbir is the former president of the SOI and he was not active in the party for the last a few days. The party leaders had started ignoring Tejbir when his involvement had come to the fore during the shooting incident in which gangster Kandowalia was killed.” After the Kandowalia killing episode, former SAD minister Bikram Singh Majithia along with many senior party leaders, had visited Tejbir’s residence in Nangli village to inquire about his health. Majithia was not available to take calls for his version. Meanwhile, Abhimanyu Rana said their raids are on to nab gangsters Doni and Manu. When asked if any drug was recovered from Tejbir, the ADCP said so far no recovery has been made from him. A case under the various Sections of the NDPS Act has been registered against

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s chief spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang held a press conference alleging Tejbir’s close association with Bikram Singh Majithia. Kang showed many pictures of Tejbir with Majithia, including one in which both are seen sitting in a car. Meanwhile, Valtoha also held a press conference in Amritsar and showed many news clips showing arrests of several AAP leaders in various drug cases. Valtoha said, “Many people come and get their pictures clicked with senior party leaders but it doesn’t mean that the leaders are also involved in their crime,” he said.