The police campaign against drug trafficking in Ludhiana district has come under scrutiny following two separate incidents of alleged misconduct by police personnel within four days. In the latest case, a sub-inspector posted at the Marado police post has been suspended and booked for allegedly demanding ₹20,000 from a man arrested with heroin in exchange for lenient action and help in securing bail.
The accused officer, Harbans Singh, allegedly sought the money from Gurwinder Singh, alias Gavy, a resident of Jalaldiwal village in Raikot, after the Marado police arrested him on Gill Ring Road and recovered 4 gm of heroin from his possession.
An FIR had been registered against Gurwinder under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The alleged extortion came to light after Gurwinder recorded a video of the sub-inspector allegedly demanding money.
His wife, Kamaldeep Kaur, subsequently approached the police with a complaint against the officer.
In her complaint, Kamaldeep stated that on November 1, Harbans Singh had summoned her to the Marado police post, where he informed her that her husband had been arrested in a drug-peddling case. She alleged that the officer demanded ₹20,000 and threatened to take stern action against her husband if she failed to pay.
She pursued the matter with the police, following which the Sadar police registered an FIR against Harbans Singh under Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with extortion.
{{/usCountry}}She pursued the matter with the police, following which the Sadar police registered an FIR against Harbans Singh under Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with extortion.
{{/usCountry}}Additional deputy commissioner of police (City 2) Jaskaran Singh said, “An FIR has been registered against sub-inspector Harbans Singh has been suspended with immediate effect.”
“The case was registered following an initial investigation and that further investigation is underway,” ADCP added.
Second case in four days
The latest action comes just days after another incident in Khanna raised questions about the conduct of personnel involved in the anti-drug campaign. On November 1, a heroin recovery operation at the residence of Shiv Sena leader Mahant Kashmir Giri came under scrutiny after hidden-camera footage purportedly showed a police personnel planting drugs under a mattress before an official team arrived to conduct a search.
Taking cognisance of the footage, Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia suspended ASI Sukhdev Singh, posted with the CIA staff, and constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by an SP-rank officer to conduct an impartial probe.