Innocents framed, money extorted in lieu of 'weak' challan; maximum cases in 2013-16

Tribune News Service

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, April 16

The three drug investigation reports, made public recently after five years in sealed covers, clearly reveal the modus operandi of Inspector Inderjit Singh (since dismissed) and possibly many more officials like him who made money by implicating innocent persons in drug smuggling cases — mostly between 2013 and 2016 during the SAD-BJP government.

Edit: Punjab’s tainted cops

Dismissed Punjab cop Inderjit Singh would plant intoxicants on innocent persons and extort money from them as well as drug peddlers. One Gurparkash Singh of Amritsar was looted of lakhs of rupees after being named in a drugs case though nothing was ever recovered from him. In another case, the team headed by Inderjit Singh walked away with furniture and electronics from the house of alleged smuggler Gurjeet Singh.

Punjab recorded the maximum number of FIRs under the NDPS Act in the country during 2013-16 with 35-40 persons arrested every day for “possession” of drugs and drug peddlers accounting for more than 50 per cent prisoners in the state. In instances where drugs were actually recovered, “technical flaws” in the police investigation invariably helped the accused. Once a smuggler was caught, it was common to add the names of 15-20 persons in the FIR to extort money. The special investigation team (SIT) that went through the details of the FIRs registered by Inspector (Own Rank and Pay) Inderjit Singh during his stint as in-charge of the CIA at Tam Taran, says: “In almost all cases, challan was presented in court much after the stipulated time only to help the accused. Also, (drug) samples in most of the cases were not sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory within the stipulated time.

“As many as 15, at times over 20, persons were nominated in cases without any recovery being effected from them. Later, some of them were discharged after Inspector Inderjit Singh or his juniors gave statements in the court to this effect.”

Even the recoveries made from the alleged smugglers were not fully disclosed. The report says after alleged smuggler Gurjeet Singh was arrested on June 2, 2014, Inspector Inderjit Singh and his team raided his house at night and took away Rs 60,00,000. “The FIR on the recovery mentioned only Rs 36,00,000. After some days, ASI Balwinder Singh from the CIA, Tarn Taran, again raided Gurjeet’s house and took away 14-15 tolas of gold ornaments and household items.”

Later, Inspector Inderjit Singh pressured Gurjeet Singh to get his “kothi” registered in the name of his accomplice Sahab Singh’s brother-in-law Balwinder Singh. The house remained in the possession of Inderjit Singh’s gunmen, (corroborated in the statement given by retired DSP Jaswant Singh). Later, Gurjeet Singh was bailed out in the case. Inspector Inderjit Singh took Rs 35,00,000 from him and his challan was presented in court much beyond the stipulated time.

In this case, 13 kg heroin was recovered from Gurjeet Singh and Amandeep Singh (11 kg) and 50 gm from their “accomplice Jagjeet”.

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