E-Paper
Ludhiana: NCB seizes valuables worth ₹36L from drug smuggler’s associate
NCB seizes valuables worth ₹36 lakh from the house of Surinder Kalra, wanted in an international drug syndicate run by drug lord Akshay Chhabra. Kalra and his son are also facing charges of operating a hawala racket. Chhabra has escaped to Dubai.
The sleuths of Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) seized valuables worth ₹36 lakh from the house of Surinder Kalra, an accused wanted by the NCB in the international drug syndicate run by the drug lord Akshay Chhabra. The NCB raided the house of Kalra in Urban Estate, Dugri, in the early morning. While Kalra is still on the run his son Mani Kalra was already arrested. The father-son duo is also facing charges of operating a hawala racket.
Chhabra had escaped to Dubai on November 18, 2022, after the NCB arrested a smuggler Sandeep Singh on November 15, 2022, and recovered 20.3 kg heroin from his possession.
An NCB official stated that Karla runs a hawala racket through his firm and many other companies. His involvement in illegal activities such as drug smuggling, hawala and money laundering is also suspected.
The official added that Surinder’s son Mani has already been arrested by the NCB in a drug smuggling and hawala case. Surinder and Moni had made money transactions through hawala for Chhabra.
The NCB had busted this drug syndicate in November 2002. The NCB had found that Chhabra used to smuggle raw material from other countries. Afghan citizens, who are chemists, used to make drugs out of it at two clandestine laboratories located in Manakwal and Baba Deep Singh Nagar in Ludhiana city.
The journey of Chhabra from rags to riches was of just two years. His father owned a tea stall near the grain market at Gill Road and he used to help his father. Later, he started working at a chemist shop. Meanwhile, he indulged in drug peddling. In two years, he had bought palatial houses and other properties, worth crores of rupees in the city.
