‘Drug queen’ Bala held with 1.8-gm heroin, Rs 5L

Notorious drug peddler Bala (62), known as the ‘drug queen’ of Chandigarh, has been again arrested by the Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of UT Police. Bala who has a 32-year history of criminal activities, including drug peddling, theft and house break-ins, was apprehended after a search of her residence allegedly uncovered 1.8 gm of heroin and Rs 5 lakh in cash.

According to police records, Bala has been involved in 34 criminal cases over the past three decades, with conviction in 17 and acquittal in 15 cases. Of these cases, 23 were related to burglary and theft, while eight were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Some of her oldest cases, dating back to May and June 1992, pertain to burglary charges filed at the Sector 17 police station.

Bala entered the world of crime through burglaries and petty thefts, but later shifted to drug peddling. In August 2018, she was also booked in a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder following the death of a 23-year-old Hisar resident due to drug overdose at Nayagaon. Her most recent arrest was in November 2020 when she was found with 104 vials of banned substances near grain market chowk, Sector 39. However, she was acquitted of those charges in January 2024.

The ANTF had received a tip-off that Bala, after her release from jail, had resumed selling drugs. The police obtained a search warrant for her house from a local court. On Wednesday, around 7:15 am, the police started a three-hour search of her residence.

During the operation, a family member reportedly attempted to halt the search by calling the police control room and claiming a quarrel had occurred. Despite this, the police recovered heroin and cash believed to be proceeds from drug sale. She was booked under Section 21 of the NDPS Act.