Punjab’s political landscape was jolted on Wednesday when former Congress MLA and BJP leader Satkar Kaur Gehri was arrested in a dramatic drug trafficking bust by Punjab Police. A senior leader, who once held the seat of Ferozepur Rural, was apprehended by the Special Task Force (STF) with 100 grams of heroin in her possession. The arrest has sparked outrage and disbelief, given her previous standing in public office, leaving many to wonder how such a high-profile figure became embroiled in one of Punjab’s most pressing crises — drug smuggling.
The arrest occurred on Wednesday evening in Kharar, near Chandigarh, where Satkar Kaur, accompanied by her nephew, Jaskeerat Singh, was allegedly making a drug delivery. Punjab police had been working on a tip-off that led them to set a trap at Booth Wala Chowk. Satkar Kaur, who switched her political allegiance from Congress to the BJP in 2022, was taken into custody when the STF closed in. Shockingly, during the arrest, her nephew, who was driving the vehicle, attempted to flee by driving over a police officer’s foot, though the officer escaped with minor injuries. Both Satkar Kaur and Jaskeerat were swiftly apprehended.
Inspector General of Police, Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill, provided details on the investigation, stating that the STF had received a tip-off from a source who claimed that a woman, suspected to be Satkar Kaur, was deeply involved in drug trafficking. Initially, the police were unaware of the accused’s identity, but after reviewing call recordings and placing her phone under surveillance, Satkar Kaur’s involvement became undeniable.
As part of the sting operation, an undercover officer posed as a buyer and arranged to meet Satkar Kaur for the drug transaction. The former MLA showed up at the location herself, sealing her fate when the STF moved in for the arrest.
Following the bust, a raid was conducted at Satkar Kaur’s residence in Sunny Enclave, Kharar, where additional drugs, cash, and incriminating evidence were discovered. Among the seized items were 28 grams of heroin; Rs 1.56 lakh in cash, stored in small packets; some gold ornaments; and fake vehicle number plates, bearing Haryana and Delhi number.
The fact that such items were found in her home has added weight to the charges against her, as the investigation continues to dig deeper into her criminal links. The total recovery from her residence amounted to 128 grams of heroin, cash believed to be proceeds from drug trafficking, and luxury cars, including a Toyota Fortuner, BMW, Hyundai Verna, and Chevrolet, further implicating Kaur in extensive illicit activities.
Satkar Kaur’s arrest has left a significant dent in her political legacy. Her rise to prominence began during the tenure of Capt Amarinder Singh, under whom she served as a Congress MLA for Ferozepur Rural. In 2022, after internal strife within the Congress party, she defected to the BJP along with Capt Amarinder.
This isn’t Satkar Kaur’s first brush with the law. Prior to her involvement in drug trafficking, she had been investigated for illegal mining and was accused of accumulating assets beyond her known sources of income. While these allegations caused a stir, they never seemed to impact her standing as significantly as this latest drug case is likely to. For a state grappling with the menace of drug abuse, having a former MLA linked to such activities is both shocking and damaging.
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has taken over the case, and further investigations are expected to expose more details of her drug-related activities. A case FIR, dated October 23, 2024, has been registered under sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS act at Police Station Special Task Force (STF), SAS Nagar.
“Further investigations are on to establish backward and forward linkages in this case and more arrests are expected in coming days,” said IGP Gill.
