What began as an effort to establish the identity of a road accident victim took an unexpected turn when Ludhiana police recovered 3.697kg of heroin from inside his bag late Thursday evening.
The man, identified as Niranjan Singh, 30, a resident of Khehra Bet village in the Ladhowal area, was travelling from Phillaur towards the Ladhowal toll barrier when a speeding truck hit his motorcycle on Thursday. He sustained serious injuries and was initially taken to a hospital in Phillaur before being referred to Ludhiana Civil Hospital for treatment.
Hospital authorities alerted the police about the unidentified accident victim and a police team reached the facility.
According to police, the officers were checking the victim’s bag to establish his identity and contact his family when they recovered the contraband.
Inspector Gaganpreet Singh, station house officer of Division Number 2 police station, said the seized heroin weighed 3kg and 697grams.
During verification of the victim’s criminal record, police found that he had previously been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. “In 2024, Nawanshahr police had recovered 7 grams of heroin from his possession. He was arrested in that case and released on bail in December 2025,” the inspector said.
“Niranjan remains in critical condition. We will question him about the source of the seized heroin once he regains consciousness,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Niranjan remains in critical condition. We will question him about the source of the seized heroin once he regains consciousness,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}A fresh case has been registered against Niranjan under Section 21 (offences involving manufactured drugs and preparations), Section 61 (confiscation of goods used to conceal illicit drugs) and Section 85 (general provisions relating to offences under the Act) of the NDPS Act, the inspector said, adding that a probe in the case was underway.