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NARCOTICS
Punjab new hotspot on drug map
Punjab Police going after the core of the drug racket anchored in the state is unravelling heroin links from China to Canada, and the disturbing new trend of manufacture of synthetic narcotics
By Jangveer Singh
Smugglers in Pakistan use catapults to fling drug packets across the border fence into Indian territory. Tribune file Photo: Vishal Kumar |
The
dramatic seizure of heroin worth Rs 130 crore recently by the Fatehgarh Sahib police, which in its wake has also embroiled international boxers, has led to some startling revelations on how Punjab has graduated from being a border state used for transit of heroin to a coordination centre for manufacture of synthetic drugs.The record 28 kg heroin was seized as a result of painstaking work and a decision taken by the Punjab Police in 2012. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is in charge of the Home portfolio, had directed newly appointed Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini to strike at the core of the drug smuggling racket in the state by breaking the very central pipeline instead of arresting those at the periphery of the trade, including couriers. This prompted a change in the strategy of the state police. With ADGP (Intelligence) Hardeep Dhillon involved in the brass tacks, the force first changed the mindset of its own officers, who were conscious that Punjab was a conduit for heroin smuggling from Afghanistan to Delhi and Mumbai, but were not targeting the smugglers aggressively. It was decided to post the right men in the right places. Fatehgarh SSP Hardial Singh Mann is one such officer. Credited with busting a heroin smuggling module that had international links, he had been striking against smugglers in his earlier responsibilities too. Mann specifically asked to be posted close to Mohali, as he realised that it was the Mohali-Zirakpur belt that was the crucial area via which the heroin coming in from Afghanistan exited the state. This strategy has delivered results. In 2011, around 100 kg of heroin was seized in Punjab, compared to the nationwide seizure of 500 kg. In 2012, when the Punjab Police struck at the pipeline, heroin seizures went up to 278 kg. This year, in just three months, the police has seized 110 kg of heroin. A senior officer disclosed that heroin seizures this year could go up to 400 kg. Meanwhile, besides heroin, the Punjab Police has also for the first time understood the importance of going after synthetic drugs, including ‘Ice’ (crystal meth). This happened after the arrest of drug kingpin Raja Kandola last year. Investigation revealed a number of police officers were hobnobbing with Kandola. The state police is now going more aggressively after Ice manufacturers, who have started producing the drug in small towns such as Samrala and Zirakpur. The heroin pipeline An organic drug, heroin coming into Punjab starts its journey in Kandahar, Afghanistan. It is sold there for Rs 1-1.5 lakh per kg. Once it is smuggled into Pakistan, which is relatively easy, its rate goes up to Rs 2.5 lakh per kg. From Pakistan, it is transported to the barbed wire fence along the Indian Punjab border. Catapults are used to fling the drug packets across the fence. The couriers waiting on the Indian side coordinate with the ‘throwers’ using mobile phones with Pakistan SIM cards at both ends. Smugglers are suspected to have access to weekly roster charts of the security forces manning the fence, and sometimes also try to influence them. Once the heroin is collected from the fields after the “throw”, its rate goes up to Rs 5 lakh per kg as long as it is in the Tarn Taran-Amritsar belt. From the border, the next destination of the drug is Zirakpur for onward delivery to the ‘Kandaharis’ from Afghanistan who live in the Jama Masjid area of Delhi. As soon as it is delivered in Delhi, the rate goes up to Rs 15 lakh per kg. Police sources say this “jump” in value ensures Punjab remains only a transit point for the heroin drug trade. As one officer remarked, “Anoop Kahlon (a smuggler from whose possession 28 kg of the drug has been recovered) would be an idiot to sell it for Rs 5 lakh per kg in Punjab, when he could fetch Rs 15 lakh per kg for the same drug in Delhi. From Delhi, the drug begins its onward journey to Mumbai, where the price shoots up to Rs 25-Rs 30 lakh per kg.” The moment it is flown or shipped out of the country, this takes a quantum jump to Rs 5 crore per kg. The kingpin The man behind the heroin seized in Zirakpur is Jagdish Bhola, a former Arjuna-awardee wrestler, who has at one time also worked as an Inspector in the Punjab Police, from which post he was sacked. Bhola, who is yet to be arrested, used to live in a palatial house in Mohali, which is fitted with CCTV cameras and other security devices. While Bhola was responsible for the smooth passage of the drug from the international border to Delhi, Anoop Kahlon, from whose possession 28 kg of heroin has been seized, was one among the links that kept the drug moving to Delhi by using a chain of associates such as Manpreet Manni. Kahlon used to hand over the drug to one Paramjit Phapha, who is currently in Tihar Jail. Smooth operation The smugglers not only transported the drug but even outsmarted customs and checking staff on numerous occasions. Phapha on receipt of the drugs would hand them over to one Alok, who was responsible for packing them. The drugs were encased in special materials to ensure their scent could not be picked up by sniffer dogs at airports. The packets were routinely smuggled out through couriers, who carried small quantities each time. Bigger packages were shipped out in cargo.
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Boxers were ‘only
consumers’
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Vijender Singh
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Anoop Kahlon
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 Though the heroin case hit the national headlines because international boxer Vijender Singh’s wife’s car was found parked outside the residence of smuggler Anoop Kahlon, the police feel both Vijender and his sparring partner Ram Singh, who has been arrested in the case, were most likely only consumers.
According to the story pieced together by the police, Ram Singh first took a dose of heroin from Kahlon in December last year. The police claim Vijender tried the drug at Ram Singh’s instance, and that he allegedly took it on several occasions in January also. Investigations ‘reveal’ that the boxers, particularly Ram Singh, were patronised and even given heroin for free by Kahlon to keep them with him to showcase his ‘muscle power’ and influence.
SNIFFING IT
OUT
Punjab Police told to hit at the central conduit of trade instead of arresting peripheral operators.
Focus on Mohali area, which is exit point from state.
In 2011, 100 kg of heroin seized in Punjab, compared to 500 kg nationwide. Seizures of 400 kg expected in 2012.
Synthetic drug 'Ice' (crystal meth) emerging as major stock in trade.
Heroin begins at ~1-1.5 lakh per kg in Afghanistan, touches
~15 lakh in Delhi, ~5 crore in US.
Former Arjuna-awardee Jagdish Bhola of Zirakpur identified as drug anchor in Punjab.
For export, drugs packed specially so sniffer dogs at airports may not detect.
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