Ludhiana: Excise official alleges threat to life, unidentified persons booked

Excise and taxation officer Navdeep Singh says gunshots fired near his house by unidentified persons, says they may be criminals against whom he initiated action in past

Days after a retired police officer flagged threats from a few criminals, another enforcement official has come across a similar situation as he has alleged that he is being targeted by the accused he had taken action against. Excise and taxation officer (ETO) Navdeep Singh alleged that he is being targeted by unknown people, who are tracking his movements. Unidentified accused are opening fire near his home, he said. The ETO also alleged that he has been followed by unidentified individuals several times when he heads to the office. The division number 5 police have registered an FIR against unidentified accused and initiated investigation.

Excise official says that he noticed some suspects following him to his office. (HT Photo)

Navdeep Singh, who is a resident of Sarabha Nagar, stated that he is the excise and taxation officer (west zone). He had earlier worked as an excise inspector for a long time. During his tenure as excise inspector, he had arrested a number of miscreants involved in smuggling of illicit liquor. Many of the miscreants were convicted by the court, he said.

The ETO added that there were vacant plots near his house in Sarabha Nagar. For the past one and a half years, unidentified individuals gather in the plot in late night hours. He said the accused used to open fire in the air while shouting the name of his son. The ETO further stated that his family ignored it earlier, but their activities have increased for the past few days.

The ETO told police that they have installed security cameras and recorded the activities of the accused in which they were captured opening fire. Further, he added that he noticed some suspects following him to his office when he leaves the house in the morning. He suspected that the accused could harm him or his family members.

ASI Pushotam Lal, who is investigating the case, stated that an FIR under Section 125 (acts that endanger the life or personal safety of others), 25 and 27 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against the unidentified accused. The police are scanning the video footage to identify the accused.

Similar case

Earlier, a retired senior Punjab Police officer, who had interrogated a number of notorious gangsters during his service, complained that he had been facing threats. Sandeep Sharma, a former assistant inspector general (AIG) with the anti-drug special task force (STF), filed a complaint with the district police recently, saying he was receiving threatening calls from some of Punjab’s most wanted criminals, including Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Irony is that the retired officer had to approach the Punjab and Haryana high court for the FIR.

Sharma, who retired in 2022, said he started getting threat calls on WhatsApp from international numbers. The gangsters told him to withdraw the FIR he had earlier registered against them, or else they would harm him, his wife, and his son. He also said that despite repeated threats, he refused to give in. Following his complaint the Police lodged an FIR on September 12.