Mohali / Two wanted drug smugglers arrested from Mohali, 750 gm heroin seized

Mohali police on Thursday arrested two drug smugglers, one of them wanted by the anti-drug Special Task Force of Punjab, from near the Chandpur toll plaza in Mohali and recovered 750 gram heroin, 54 mobile phones,  25 SIM cards and Rs.12,000 from them.      

The accused have been identified as Balwinder Singh, alias Billa, of Haveliyan village in Tarn Taran, a border village infamous for drug smuggling, and Amrik Singh Dedhna of Patiala. Amrik's brother Avtar Singh is a proclaimed offender in Jagdish Bhola drug racket case.

"Balwinder had been involved in cross border smuggling of drugs, weapons, fake Indian currency and gold since 1990. He used to finance several smugglers in the vicinity of the Indo-Pak border fence and had connections in Pakistan. We were working on this for the last five months," said Kuldeep Singh Chahal, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Mohali, while addressing the media.

The duo was nabbed by cops posted with Majri police station and CIA, Kharar, staff on July 31 on the basis of a tip off. They were intercepted by the police party when they were coming from Mullanpur side in a Toyota Innova.

"Both the arrested drug smugglers have met in jail during 2008-10 and started drug smuggling network. There are total 21 cases registered against both of them," said Chahal, adding that they were more active in Majha area.

A case was registered against the two under the NDPS Act and  Section 473 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery) of the IPC, at Majri police station in Mohali.

Billa was staying in Chandigarh for last 6 months

Billa, 50, was living a lavish life at a rented accommodation in Chandigarh for the last six months. “Balwinder was first booked in 1992 for smuggling of fake currency and drugs Amanat Khan police in Tarn Taran,” said Chahal.

Chahal said, “Balwinder was staying at a house in Sector 63, Chandigarh, at a monthly rent of Rs. 22,000. He owns a Toyota Innova.”

Billa remained the sarpanch of his village for around 10 years and is father to three daughters and two sons. One of his sons and a daughter are abroad. Billa is named in as many as 14 cases and has amassed properties, including a farmhouse spread over 17 acres at Janjheri village in Mohali.

“He just had a landholding of 4 acres and now owns 90 acres at his village, apart from owning houses and plots in Jalandhar, Amritsar and a farmhouse,” said Chahal, adding that police will initiate the process to impound these properties.

Billa’s accomplice Amrik Singh Dedhna is involved in drug smuggling since 2004. He was imprisoned for 10 years in a poppy husk case by district courts, Patiala. Currently, he is out on bail after having spent five years in jail. His brother Avtar Singh Dedhna is also a proclaimed offender in Jagdish Bhola synthetic drug racket case.

In October 2018, police had unearthed an illegal liquor unit being run from a farmhouse at Dedhna village of Ghagga, that was allegedly operated by Amrik, who is facing seven cases kidnapping, robbery and drug smuggling.