Ludhiana drug lord Akshay Chhabra, two others put under one-year detention at Dibrugarh Jail
A three-member advisory board under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act has slapped one-year detention order in Dibrugarh Jail, Assam, for Ludhiana druglords Akshay Chhabra, Jaspal Singh, alias Goldy, and Balwinder Singh, alias Billa Havellian, in the infamous 2,000 kg heroin smuggling racket spread in Punjab, Mundra port-Gujarat, Jammu-Kashmir and Afghanistan.
The Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Chandigarh zone had busted this racket. In August, these three were sent to Dibrugarh Jail under the PITNDPS. The crucial review of their detention was taken by the advisory board earlier this week, said a spokesperson of the NCB. The Board comprised Justice Ajit Borthakur, Bikram Choudhary and Padmadhar Nayak. The one-year detention will be considered from August when they were first detained.
All three will be held in Dibrugarh Jail as part of efforts to dismantle their extensive drug trafficking operations, said an NCB spokesperson.
Chhabra, the kingpin, was first arrested at Jaipur International Airport while attempting to flee to Sharjah, UAE, in November 2022. His syndicate was busted with the arrest of 21 individuals, including traffickers and two Afghan nationals. He sourced heroin from Afghanistan in cans of tomato sauce or bottles of pomegranate juice imported by Indian traders from Iran, official sources said on condition of anonymity.
The NCB found heroin hidden in 612 cans of tomato sauce imported from Afghanistan, officials added. These had special markings to distinguish them from other cans. The NCB also found heroin in 350 bottles of juice imported from Iran.
However, despite being incarcerated in Punjab jails, Chhabra and Goldy continued their illegal activities, resulting in multiple additional FIRs against them.
The third smuggler, Balwinder Singh, an established figure in drug smuggling since 1992, has extensive ties to Pakistan-based syndicates. He faces multiple NDPS-related charges and has been implicated in serious crimes, including attempted murder.
