In a major development, the Fatehgarh Sahib Police has busted an inter-state pharmaceutical drug cartel -- running from the jail. The police has arrested four persons, including two jail inmates and a supplier, after recovering 5.31 lakh pharma opioids from their possession.
Those arrested have been identified as Sunny Kumar of Ludhiana and Ranjit Singh alias Rinku of Ludhiana, while Eshaan Gupta and Ravi Kumar were brought on production warrant from Ludhiana’s Central Jail.
“During a special nakabandi, the Fatehgarh Police on January 23, 2023, had arrested Sunny Kumar after recovering 19,590 intoxicant tablets from his possession,” said the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Ropar range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar on Tuesday.
Fatehgarh Sahib Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Ravjot Grewal said that during questioning, the accused had revealed that he was supplying intoxicant tablets to customers on the directions of Eshaan Gupta and Ravi Kumar, who establish contact with him using mobile phones from the Central Jail, Ludhiana.
“An FIR in this regard has been registered in Ludhiana. Following their disclosure, the Police had brought both the accused on a production warrant,” she said, adding that the Police have also recovered a Samsung Guru mobile phone, which they were using in the jail.
DIG Bhullar said that both the accused have revealed that they got pharma drug supplies from Ranjit Rinku and the Police also arrested him on Saturday.
“On accused Ranjit Rinku’s disclosures, the Police teams have recovered 3.60 lakh tablets of Lomotil and 1.51 lakh tablets of Tramadol from pinpointed locations in Ludhiana,” he added.
Fatehgarh Sahib SSP said that they have procured the police remand of accused Ranjit Rinku; and further investigations are on to find out the main supplier. More recoveries are expected, she added.
Notably, the case FIR, dated January 23, 2023, was registered under sections 22C and 29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station Gobindgarh, Fatehgarh Sahib.
Meanwhile, this is a part of the continuing operations by Fatehgarh Sahib Police in its attempt to break the supply chain and nexus of pharmaceutical opioids in the state of Punjab.