NIA court denies bail to Amritsar man in ₹52-lakh drug proceeds case

The case originated from an FIR registered at the Tarsikka police station in Amritsar district on May 31, 2019, after police recovered 500 gm of heroin and ₹1.2 lakh in drug money from three accused

A special NIA court in Mohali has dismissed the fifth bail application of an Amritsar man accused of channelising ₹52 lakh generated from heroin sales and transferring another ₹6 lakh to a gold exchange account allegedly operated by members of a terrorist outfit.

The National Investigation Agency took over the probe in January 2020. (Shutterstock)

Special NIA judge Dinesh Kumar Wadhwa rejected Satpal Singh’s plea, holding that the allegations prima facie attracted Sections 27-A and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The court also cited the statutory restrictions on bail under Section 37 of the Act, the gravity of the allegations and the accused’s alleged role in financing drug trafficking.

The case originated from an FIR registered at the Tarsikka police station in Amritsar district on May 31, 2019, after police recovered 500 gm of heroin and ₹1.2 lakh in drug money from three accused.

During investigation, two of them allegedly disclosed that they had received two hand grenades on the directions of Harmeet Singh, alias PhD, described by investigators as the chief of the banned Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). Punjab Police later recovered the grenades in a separate case.

The investigation subsequently shifted to the State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar, before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over and registered a case on January 22, 2020.

According to the prosecution’s case outlined in the order, Harmeet Singh and Dubai-based Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada allegedly conspired to run a narco-terror module. Harmeet allegedly sent heroin to India through a network of traffickers, while the proceeds moved through hawala operators and associates in Amritsar, Delhi and Dubai.

The court recorded allegations that Satpal received ₹25 lakh from co-accused Nirmal Singh, alias Neeldhari, in January 2019, another ₹7 lakh in February and ₹20 lakh in March.

Investigators alleged that Satpal channelised the total ₹52 lakh through an associate. He also allegedly sent ₹6 lakh to Parminder Pal Singh, alias Bobby, asking him to deposit around 30,000 dirhams into an account of Alfa Forex Gold Exchange, allegedly operated by Hakimzada.

Satpal’s counsel argued that the NIA had collected no independent evidence, made no recovery from him and implicated him on the basis of an inadmissible disclosure statement. The defence also cited prolonged incarceration, trial delay and bail granted to Neeldhari.

Rejecting the parity argument, the court said Neeldhari’s alleged role was different: he transported proceeds to hawala operators, while Satpal allegedly channelised the money and deposited funds into the gold exchange account. It termed the claimed changes in circumstances “mere cosmetic changes”.

The court also rejected prolonged incarceration as sufficient ground for bail and said Satpal could flee, influence witnesses or tamper with evidence if released.

Satpal, who lives in Kishangarh Colony, Amritsar, was arrested on December 5, 2019. This was his fifth bail application. The court clarified that its observations would not affect the merits of the main trial.