Gangster Bhagwanpuria detained, shifted to Assam jail
Action taken under PIT-NDPS Act as the accused has repeatedly used mobile phones to orchestrate criminal activities from within high-security jails: NCB
Notorious gangster-cum-drug lord Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is also an accused in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, was detained under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act on Sunday and shifted to a Silchar jail in Assam from Punjab, the NCB said.
Bhagwanpuria, who was lodged in Bathinda Central Jail and has 128 FIRs registered against him in Punjab and other states, was transported to Chandigarh Airport and then flown to Assam under tight security in cooperation with Punjab Police. He was arrested in a murder case in 2015 and since then has been lodged in several jails in the state.
The PIT-NDPS Act of 1988 provides for the “detention of persons concerned in any manner with illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for one or two year(s) with a view to preventing them from engaging in such harmful and prejudicial activities”. The move comes amid growing concerns about gang activities inside Punjab prisons.
As per police, Bhagwanpuria and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi had hatched a conspiracy to kill Moose Wala. However, both fell apart later.
“Bhagwanpuria, a native of Gurdaspur district, is considered the most dreaded gangster of Punjab after Bishnoi and has more than five cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, (UAPA) for hatching conspiracies to disturb communal harmony in Punjab. He is facing at least 15 cases of arms and drugs smuggling in Punjab and other states,” police said.
The NCB said that Bhagwanpuria was detained and moved out of Punjab as he had “established linkages” with international operatives in Canada, the US and Pakistan. His relocation was required to disrupt the ecosystem facilitating continued criminal activities, the NCB said.
“He is involved in 128 cases, including high-profile murder cases, extortion, Arms Act and 12 cases under the NDPS Act, since 2012. Bhagwanpuria is also an accused in Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder case. His criminal network facilitated the smuggling of heroin, opium, psychotropic substances and illegal arms,” the NCB said in a statement.
Bhagwanpuria has repeatedly used mobile phones to orchestrate criminal activities from within Punjab’s high-security jails “as evidenced by multiple cases”, the statement added.
The actions were executed following detailed intelligence inputs and sustained investigations that revealed the continued involvement of several high-profile traffickers in orchestrating drug trafficking networks from jail, it said.
This is the third case in which the NCB has taken custody under PIT-NDPS.
In the last six months, the likes of Balwinder Singh alias Billa Havellian, Akshay Chhabra and Jaspal Singh alias Goldy, who continued their nefarious activities despite being behind bars, were transferred from jails in Punjab to the central jail in Assam’s Dibrugarh.
Havellian, who is a long-standing offender active since 1992 with deep-rooted connections to cross-border smuggling networks operating from Pakistan, was detained under the PIT-NDPS Act in Dibrugarh Central Jail (Assam) on August 12, 2024.
