2 more smugglers arrested under PIT-NDPS Act, sent to jail in Assam

This is the second time in five days that NCB has arrested smugglers in a bid to break the links between the drug mafia and the prisons in the region

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday arrested two drug smugglers, Akshay Chhabra and Jaspal Singh alias Goldy, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act and sent them to Dibrugarh Jail in Assam.

While Chhabra hails from Ludhiana, his close aide Goldy hails from Sahnewal of Ludhiana. The duo was lodged in Bathinda Central Jail and was remanded in custody after they continued their shady activities in jail, resulting in three more FIRs against Chhabra and one more FIR under the NDPS Act against Goldy.

The PIT-NDPS Act 1988 provides for preventive detention of repeat offenders. With this, a total of three drug smugglers have been sent to Dibrugarh Jail in Assam, where Al Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh and his nine aides are being held under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) since 2023. Dibrugarh Jail is one of the oldest and most secure prisons in the Northeast and was built in 1859-60.

This is the second instance in less than five days where the PIT-NDPS Act has been invoked to break the links between the prisons and the drug mafia in the region.

According to a senior NCB official, a person can be detained under the PIT-NDPS Act even if he is in jail.

“If someone is seen as a potential threat in drug cases, he can be kept in custody. This custody will continue even if the accused gets bail in cases registered against him,” said the senior official, who requested anonymity.

On August 13, the PIT-NDPS Act was invoked for the first time after the Punjab Police, in a joint operation with the NCB, took notorious drug smuggler Balwinder Singh alias Billa Sarpanch alias Billa Havellian into preventive custody and sent him to Dibrugarh.

Punjab gave its approval to PIT-NDPS a year ago

According to information, the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had given the green signal for implementation of PIT-NDPS on January 24 last year after the Punjab DGP studied the matter thoroughly.

NCB had also insisted on arresting smugglers under PIT-NDPS. Though cases forwarded to Punjab Home Department are still pending, NCB has obtained necessary permission from Union Home Ministry.

Nearly 60 proposals are pending with the Interior Ministry to detain drug traffickers and their handlers, but none have been approved so far. The Narcotics Bureau had also submitted three such proposals, involving major drug lords, about six months ago, but the Interior Ministry has shelved these too.

Ran their drug gang from prison: NCB investigation

In a press release issued on Saturday, the Chandigarh zone of the NCB said that both the inmates had continued their nefarious activities despite their custody, resulting in three additional FIRs against Akshay Chhabra, of Ludhiana, and an additional FIR under the NDPSAct against Goldy. “Both were sent to Dibrugarh Jail in Assam as a step to curtail their drug smuggling activities,” the release said.

According to the press release, Chhabra was arrested at Jaipur airport while he was trying to flee to Sharjah on November 24, 2022. During the investigation by the NCB, the name of Jaspal Singh alias Goldy also surfaced as one of the key members of Chhabra’s drug gang.

During the NCB investigation, it came to light that this Ludhiana-headquartered international drug network had smuggled nearly 1,400 kg of heroin from the International Check Post (ICP) at Attari in Punjab, the Mundra seaport in Gujarat and via Jammu and Kashmir.

It is striking that the NCB arrested a total of 20 people in this case, including the drug lord, human traffickers, white-collar criminals and two Afghan nationals.

Till date, the NCB has seized around 40 kg of heroin, 0.557 kg of opium, 23.645 kg of suspected narcotic powder, four bottles of HCL, 31 bullets and a magazine from the syndicate. Two heroin processing dens of the group were also busted, the official release added. The Chandigarh zonal unit of the NCB has recovered over ₹57 crore worth of immovable and movable properties of the drug cartel so far.

FRAMEWORK What is the PIT-NDPS Act?

Article 3 of the law gives the government the authority to detain people engaged in illegal trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances.

Article 9 provides for the establishment of an advisory committee to examine complaints from persons detained.

The Punjab government in 2023 constituted a three-member advisory committee headed by Justice Shabihul Hasnain (retired), with advocates Suveer Sheokand and Divanshu Jain as members.

In any case where the advisory council reports that there is no sufficient reason for detention, the government is obliged to revoke the detention and release the person.