Punjab drugs case: ED raids 10 locations, recovers arms and contraband

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said that it carried out searches at 10 locations in Punjab, including premises of Skattar Singh aka Laddi, Gajjan Singh, Makhan Singh, and other members of their family and associates in connection with a drugs case and identified several immoveable properties worth crores of rupees.

The ED said that it carried out searches on February 3 at residential and office premises of Skattar Singh, Gajjan Singh, Makhan Singh, other members of their family, and some associates at 10 different places in villages Sheron, Naushera Pannuan, and Bugha of district Tarn Taran, Punjab.

The ED said that during searches various incriminating pieces of evidence were recovered and seized relating to numerous immovable properties worth crores of rupees in the names of these persons.

“A few packets of psychotropic substance appearing to be opium and its derivate products including heroin were also recovered from the residential premises of Skattar Singh and his family at village Sheron. Therefore, the request was made to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for verification and testing of the suspicious products. As per the NCB officials, the substance recovered was suspected to be heroin weighing approximately 2.2 kg which was tested and seized by them in the presence of ED officials,” the ED said.

The financial probe agency said that during searches some packets of white powdery substance were recovered from the shop of Skattar Singh, Proprietor of Baba Sidana Trading Company at Nausheran Pannuan for which NCB was requested for its verification and testing.

“As per the NCB officials, the same appeared to be suspected Narcotics contraband material weighing 13.980 kgs which were seized by them in the presence of ED officials,” the agency said, adding that arms and ammunition totaling 2 rifles and 3 pistols along with some cartridges were recovered during its search operation.

The ED said that 1 rifle, 2 pistols, and cartridges were found at the residential premises of Skattar Singh, and 1 rifle, 1 pistol, and some cartridges were found at the residential premises of Makhan Singh, brother of the said, Skattar Singh.

The recovered arms and ammunition were reported to the local police authorities. Since original licenses were not available for some of the arms recovered from residential premises, the same was handed over to the local police authorities, it said.

The ED had taken up the investigation against Skattar Singh, Makhan Singh, and others on the basis of multiple FIRs against Hardev Singh aka Rambo, and others under various sections of the NDPS Act and Arms Act which are the Scheduled Offences under the PMLA, 2002 in order to ascertain the scope and extent of money laundering activities indulged by them and for tracing the proceeds of crime.

Hardev Singh is presently incarcerated in Central Jail, Amritsar following recovery of 4 Kg of Heroin by Punjab Police in 2018, the ED added.