Retired school principal, son held with heroin, intoxicating pills in Ludhiana

Two toy guns, five snatched mobile phones and a digital weighing scale were also seized from the accused, who are residents of Sardar Nagar

A retired school principal and her son were caught with 70gm heroin and 1,500 intoxicating pills at Sardar Nagar on Saturday.

The accused, Sonu, in the custody of Daresi police in Ludhiana on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Police said two toy guns, five snatched mobile phones and a digital weighing scale were also seized from the accused, identified as Chander Kanta, 71, and her son, Sonu, alias Lovely, 36, residents of Sardar Nagar.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, North) Gurbinder Singh said the accused were arrested following a tip-off. They were headed to deliver the consignment on a scooter when intercepted for checking.

Sub-inspector Davinder Singh, station house officer (SHO), Daresi police station, said Lovely was already facing trial in six cases of snatching and one case of drug peddling. He had been committing crimes since 2017 and failed to mend his ways despite being arrested in the past.

The SHO claimed that the accused had confessed to peddling intoxicating pills since 2019. During questioning, Lovely revealed that his wife had left him due to marital discord. Recently, he visited her in Uttar Pradesh and on his way back, sourced the heroin, toy pistols and 1,500 pills.

They were produced in court on Sunday and sent to two-day police custody. More important information is expected from the accused during questioning, the SHO said.

Secured loans to buy narcotics

The ADCP said the woman had availed of two loans of ₹1.5 lakh and ₹50,000 after mortgaging her gold jewellery. She used this money to buy the narcotics and sell them further for higher rates.

The 71-year-old would accompany her son while delivering the consignments to avoid police suspicion, the police official added.