Punjab drug inspector held in smuggling racket; Rs 7 cr seized

Jupinderjit Singh & Archit Watts

The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab police has  arrested a Drug Inspector, Shishan Mittal, for colluding with drug smugglers.

A police spokesman said he was arrested from Mohali.

Police had questioned Mittal a number of times in last two weeks on allegations regarding his involvement in facilitating drug smuggling operations connected to illegal pharmaceuticals, medical stores and laundering the drug money but had not arrested him

The accused was in touch with drug smugglers lodged inside the jail and facilitated their drug network outside. Serious financial irregularities have been observed, whereby ANTF identified and freeze 24 bank accounts with ₹7.09 crores. In addition to this, two bank lockers were seized.

ANTF recovered Rs 1.49 crores in cash, 260 gm of gold and foreign currency. Furthermore, substantial assets acquired through the proceeds of illegal activities were identified, including real-estate valued at Rs 2.40 crores in Zirakpur and Dabwali.

Despite the fact that a case under the NDPS Act was last month registered against him, he was neither arrested nor suspended so far.

Further, the delays took place when DGP Punjab Gaurav Yadav has said that preliminary investigation suggested the accused had been regularly in touch with drug smugglers lodged in various jails and facilitated their drug network outside.

As per the earlier transfer orders issued by the Food and Drugs Administration (Drugs Wing), Punjab dated August 31, a copy of which is in possession of The Tribune, Shishan was posted as Drug Control Officer (DCO), Muktsar-1. Earlier, he was holding the regular charge of Fazilka-2 and additional charge of Fazilka-1.

The special task force (STF) of the state police had frozen 24 bank accounts with a total amount of Rs 6.69 crore linked to Shishan, seized huge cash, gold and foreign currency during the raids conducted at multiple locations in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on August 8 this year. At that time, he was on leave for one month, which ended on August 31.

Dr Jagdeep Chawla, Chief Medical Officer, Muktsar, had earlier told Tribune, “I have received the fresh transfer and posting orders of Shishan Mittal but he has not yet assumed his charge here.”

On this, Dr Abhinav Trikha, Commissioner, Food and Drugs Administration, Punjab, said, “Shishan recently sought extension of his leave, which he had got on medical grounds till August 31, but his fresh application was rejected. His transfer orders are now issued by the state government and not the Commissioner, but he has not joined the duty as yet. Further, we have not received any communique against him from the state police. The police had just sought the record of his leaves, ex-India leaves and properties. Now, he is absent from the duty without any information. The Zonal Licensing Authority will write to us in this regard and then the process to act against him will initiate.”