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Punjab CM directs DGP to act against senior officers involved in police-drug mafia nexus
Special secretary, home, asks state police chief to have probe conducted by senior IPS officer within a month; says dismissed inspector Inderjit Singh couldn’t have run extortion, drug trafficking network alone
In a move that could turn the heat on the Punjab Police brass in the drug mafia nexus case, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday directed Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav to probe all officers, however senior they may be, who directly or indirectly helped in drug trafficking, including those who promoted the now dismissed inspector Inderjit Singh.
“Depute a senior IPS officer to probe the case related to FIR No. 1 registered against Inderjit Singh. Book (dismissed former SSP) Raj Jit Singh under Section 120 (B) of the IPC (for criminal conspiracy). All three reports of the special investigation team (SIT) should be taken into account. The investigating officer should examine the role of all police officers concerned, howsoever highly placed they may be, who have directly or indirectly helped in drug trafficking or smuggling. The investigating officer should conclude the investigation within a month and submit the report,” said the letter by the special secretary, home, to the DGP.
The letter said: “It is not possible for a low-rank ORP (own rank promoted) inspector to run such a huge network of extortion and drug trafficking alone. Action should be taken against senior officers who approved transfers, promotions, grant of local rank to Inderjit Singh on the recommendations of (now dismissed) Raj Jit Singh, PPS. For identification of such senior officers, relevant files should be sent to the government by 4pm tomorrow (Thursday).”
“It appears from the investigation conducted by the SIT that Inderjit Singh was the favourite of many police officers. Therefore, please report within three days whether any other SSP/IPS officer had requested for his posting,” the chief minister directed.
The chief minister is acting on the three special investigation team (SIT) reports on the police-drug mafia nexus recently opened by the Punjab and Haryana high court. Former Moga senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raj Jit Singh Hundal was dismissed from service recently and a vigilance probe was ordered into assets allegedly amassed by him by selling narcotics.
“We won’t spare anyone involved in drugs. After opening the sealed cover reports, Raj Jit Singh was booked and has been dismissed from service. The vigilance bureau has been asked to probe the wealth he amassed by selling ‘chitta (heroin)’,” the chief minister had tweeted.
Though Raj Jit Singh was not directly indicted in the probe conducted by the SIT to ascertain his complicity with inspector Inderjit Singh, who was caught by the special task force (STF) against drugs with 6kg of heroin, it had suggested “definite scope for further inquiry” into his properties.
In the letter to the chief director, vigilance bureau, the Punjab home department said: “The reports of the SIT suggest that innocent persons were falsely implicated for extorting money from them. Therefore, you are asked to register an FIR under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 59 of the NDPS Act and other relevant provisions of the law against Raj Jit and Inderjit Singh.”
“We have received the files regarding registration of case and the FIR will soon be filed,” a senior VB official privy to the development said.
STF nominates Raj Jit in 2018 drug case
Punjab Police’s STF against drugs on Wednesday booked the now dismissed SSP-rank officer, Raj Jit Singh, for criminal conspiracy with Inderjit Singh and framing false records with an intent to save the latter from punishment, besides indulging in extortion.
Raj Jit has been nominated in a June 2018 FIR registered by the STF against Inderjit after the recovery of 6kg heroin from his house in Phagwara. Inderjit, currently lodged in jail, was booked for smuggling and tampering with recoveries. The case is under trial.
According to information, sections 120B, 218 and 384 of the IPC besides sections 59 and 39 of the NDPS Act have been slapped on Raj Jit for his complicity with Inderjit when the former was Tarn Taran SSP and latter was working as CIA in-charge in the district.
The STF have also issued a look-out circular against Raj Jit and raids are being conducted to nab the dismissed cop who has gone underground ever since his dismissal.
The dismissal orders of Raj Jit — the first SSP-rank Punjab Police officer to be sacked on drug charges — read that he colluded with smugglers, framed innocent persons in fake cases and ran extortion racket/s.
The orders issued by additional chief secretary, home, Anurag Verma, clearly mention that Raj Jit abused and misused his official position to mint money through drug cases.
“The contents of all three reports submitted by SIT in compliance with the orders of Punjab and Haryana high court prove that Raj Jit and Inderjit were in cahoots. The duo was instrumental in spread of drug menace in the state by extending help to the drug peddlers/smugglers,” the ACS orders read.
