Police nab international drug smuggler wanted in Germany
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 10
The Punjab Police, in a joint operation with a central agency, have apprehended international drug smuggler Simranjot Singh Sandhu (30), kingpin of the 487 kg cocaine smuggling case in Germany in 2020, said Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Saturday.
The development comes following the investigation of backward and forward linkages of drug smugglers Beant Singh and Sukhdeep Singh who were arrested on June 16 and 1 kg heroin seized from them. On their statement, the Moga police nominated Mandeep Singh, who is in the USA at present, and Simranjot Singh, who was allegedly looking for heroin buyers in Punjab on the directions of the former.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said, “Accused Simranjot Sandhu, a key member of an international drug cartel, is wanted in Germany for various drug offences. Preliminary investigations revealed that he played a major role in smuggling drugs in India and European countries.”
Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill accompanied by Faridkot range DIG Ashwani Kapur and Moga SSP Dr Ankur Gupta said at a press conference that the Moga police arrested Simranjot Sandhu, a native of Gokhuwal village in Batala, from Bhaloor village in Moga.
He said Simranjot went to Germany in 2002 and worked there as a taxi driver. Between March 2020 and June 2020, he stored and transported at least 487 kg cocaine, 66 kg marijuana and 10 kg hashish that reached Hamburg port from Brazil and other South American countries. The accused used to communicate on encrypted mobile app “Encrochat”, he said.
He was sentenced to 8.5-year jail under the Narcotic Drugs Act by a German court on February 28, 2022. However, he fled to Dubai in July 2023 and then reached India in September 2023.
The IGP said for the past 11 months, Simranjot had been staying at various places in India, including Amritsar, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Moga, etc. to evade arrest. Investigation was going on to verify his activities in India, he said. An FIR was registered against him on June 16 under Section 21 of the NDPS Act at the Ajitwal police station in Moga.
