Notorious Drug Kingpin Arrested in Punjab After Eight-Month Evasion

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police nabbed a notorious drug supplier, who had been evading capture for eight months. The arrest took place in Bathinda, Punjab, where he was on trial for a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. His arrest has revealed a web of drug distribution spanning multiple Indian states, the officials informed on Monday.

The accused has been identified as Kanwaldeep Singh (48), hailing from Guwahati, Assam, was a prime suspect in four separate cases related to drug supply, involving a staggering 113 kgs of opium in Delhi and Punjab, as well as 18 kgs of heroin in Assam.

According to the Special CP Special Cell HGS Dhaliwal, Singh had been orchestrating drug supply operations in Delhi, Punjab, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Bihar, and other regions for the past eight years. During this time, he managed to distribute over 500 kgs of opium and heroin. The operation leading to his arrest was meticulously planned by a team from the Special Cell headed by Inspector Shiv Kumar, under the supervision of ACP Attar Singh and DCP Alok Kumar.

Singh was arrested outside the Bathinda Court in Punjab on October 18. Kanwaldeep Singh's criminal history includes multiple cases under the NDPS Act. In one such case earlier this year, his associates Ranbir Singh aka Tinku, his brother, and Loyangamba Itocha were arrested. They were found in possession of a substantial 50 kg opium, which had been sourced from a supplier in Manipur at Singh's behest, Dhaliwal confirmed.

The drug kingpin was also linked to the seizure of 56 kg of opium in Delhi in July 2023. The illicit substance was en route to the capital, sent by Singh through his associates, who were apprehended by the Special Cell before they could complete their delivery. Another case involved the discovery of 18 kg of heroin from his associates in Nagaon, Assam, earlier this year.

Singh's criminal activities date back even further, as he had been arrested in Bathinda, Punjab, in July 2018, with 24 kilograms of opium seized from his vehicle. He had served a three-year sentence but resumed his drug supply operations upon release. In March 2022, one of his associates, Sanjeev Roshan, was once again apprehended in Punjab, with 8 kilograms of opium linked to Singh's supply chain. Singh had been evading capture in this case as well, Dhaliwal mentioned.

The modus operandi of Singh's drug distribution network involved concealing narcotics within secret compartments of vehicles, including cars and trucks. In addition to the aforementioned cases, Kanwaldeep Singh is believed to have been involved in numerous other drug supply instances across the country. The Special Cell is currently conducting further interrogations of the accused to apprehend other members of this drug syndicate, the official added.