Punjab cop held for illegally confining 2 suspects, misguiding seniors in drug case

A Punjab Police sub-inspector was arrested for allegedly illegally confining two suspects and misguiding his senior officials by providing wrong information in an opium recovery case, officials said on Monday.

Assistant Inspector General, STF, Snehdeep Sharma said Sub-inspector Gurmit Singh, incharge of anti-drug Special Task Force's Ludhiana range, told the officials that he had nabbed two suspects -- Charnjit Singh alias Channi and Ranbir Singh -- along with 690 gm opium from Ludhiana on September 17.

But he kept them in illegal confinement till the next day, he said.

When he was asked to explain why the suspects were not arrested till then, he failed to give any satisfactory reply, said Sharma.

The AIG said during the preliminary investigations, it was revealed that both the suspects were brought from a village in Patiala district and not from Ludhiana, as claimed by Gurmit.

“It will be premature to say whether the 690 grams of opium was recovered or a planted one as the detailed inquiry is in progress,” he said.

Two other persons said to be close associates of Gurmit Singh have also been named in this case, the AIG said.