Patiala cops book doctor for illegal sale of 31k narcotic pills

Dr Amit Bansal, who runs 22 pvt de-addiction centres in Punjab, was arrested by Punjab Vigilance Bureau in January; A subsequent probe was launched at all the centre’s in the districts

Patiala police have booked Dr Amit Bansal, who operates as many as 22 private de-addiction centres across 16 districts in Punjab, for the illegal sale of over 31,000 narcotic tablets meant for rehab patients. All his de-addiction centres are under lens after he was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in early January, this year.

Dr Amit Bansal was booked by Patiala police on April 16 under multiple sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 — including Sections 22, 25, 26, 29, and 32 based on the inquiry reports by a three-member committee of Patiala health department and Patiala sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).

Following his arrest by VB, the state health department suspended the licences of all 22 centres under his name on January 13. A wider probe was subsequently launched across districts where his centres were operational. In March, he was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court.

Bansal was booked by Patiala police on April 16 under multiple sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 — including Sections 22, 25, 26, 29, and 32 based on the inquiry reports by a three-member committee of Patiala health department and Patiala sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).

He will also face charges under Sections 336 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to endangering human life and forgery.

The Patiala health department probe panel found that between April 1 and November 13, 2024, Adarsh Hospital in Patiala sold nearly 26 lakh narcotic tablets over a span of just seven months. According to the report, a copy which is with HT, this amounted to approximately 11,000 tablets per day despite the facility housing only 55 patients at the time.

The Patiala Health Department’s detailed report has uncovered serious discrepancies in hospital records. It revealed the illegal sale of 18,548 tablets of Buprenorphine 2mg + Naloxone 0.5mg and 13,951 tablets of Buprenorphine 0.4mg + Naloxone 0.1mg. Additionally, 1,000 tablets of ADDNOK N and other formulations were found missing from the official records.

The SDM’s parallel inquiry confirmed the illegal sale, forgery of patient records and disappearance of a large number of tablets from hospital stocks.

Patiala Police confirmed that raids have been conducted to arrest Bansal in connection with the expanding investigation.