Heroin haul: STF arrests SAD leader Anwar Masih

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 19

The Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday arrested SAD leader Anwar Masih in connection with the seizure of 450-kg drugs from his house at Akash Vihar in Sultanwind village.

He was produced in court, which sent him to two-day police custody. Masih is a former member of the Subordinate Services Selection Board. This is the ninth arrest in the case. The police have already arrested eight persons, including Ankush Kapoor, Afghanistan national Arman Basharmal Punjabi actor Mantej Singh and money exchanger Harneet Singh.

He was arrested under Section 25 (owner of the place where drug trade is being carried out is responsible for the premises) of the NDPS Act, said STF chief Harpreet Singh Sidhu.

The police investigation brought out the accused refined and manufactured drugs in Masih’s house for more than a month before the racket was busted on January 30. When the drugs were seized, Masih had feigned ignorance about the nefarious activities in his house, which he had rented out to the accused.

He had said he had already put the house on sale and took Rs4.5 lakh as surety money from a prospective buyer. He claimed he had rented out the property to gym trainer Sukhwinder Singh and cloth trader Ankush Kapoor after they approached him through a common contact so he had not made any rent deed.

The STF said Masih could not furnish any document to prove that he had rented out the premises after verifying the documents of the tenants, as claimed by him.