Jalandhar: The Punjab Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has taken into custody former Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Rachhpal Singh in connection with an alleged fabricated heroin seizure case dating back to 2017.
According to sources, the arrest was made by the Jalandhar unit of the ANTF, and the police have obtained a remand from a local court to question the retired officer further. While the development has stirred significant attention within law enforcement circles, senior officials have so far avoided issuing an official statement.
The case traces back to August 3, 2017, when Balwinder Singh was detained by the Special Task Force (STF) in Amritsar. He was accused of trafficking heroin purportedly smuggled from Pakistan. Investigations later suggested that around one kilogram of heroin had been allegedly planted on him by police personnel. Three additional individuals were also implicated in the same operation.
Balwinder Singh later approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, demanding an independent investigation after a supplementary chargesheet was filed against him. Examination of CCTV recordings and call detail records (CDRs) revealed irregularities, casting doubt on the original STF claims.
Responding to the findings, the High Court in November 2019 instructed then DGP (Bureau of Investigation) Pramod Ban to carry out a departmental inquiry. His report, submitted in December 2020, included electronic evidence that contradicted the official version of events.
Subsequently, in January 2021, the High Court handed the matter over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The federal agency’s probe revealed that the seized narcotics were actually recovered from Gurjant Singh alias Sonu, not Balwinder Singh, and that the operation report had been manipulated to falsely implicate the latter. Gurjant Singh was allegedly released, while Balwinder Singh was charged under fabricated circumstances.
The latest arrest of Rachhpal Singh marks a significant step in the ongoing investigation into what has been described as one of Punjab’s most controversial anti-drug operations in recent years.
