Dismissed Punjab DSP Jagdish Bhola gets 10-year jail term in drug trafficking, money laundering case
PTC Web Desk: In a landmark verdict, the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) special court has sentenced 17 persons, including dismissed Punjab Police Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Jagdish Bhola, in a Rs 6,000 crore international drug trafficking and money laundering case.
Jagdish Bhola’s wife and father-in-law are among those convicted. ED officials were present during the sentencing, which saw judgments passed on four charge-sheets, with three still pending.
Jagdish Bhola, along with Manpreet, Sukhraj, Sukhjit Sukha, Maninder, Davinder Singh Happy, and Avtar Singh, received a 10-year jail term each. Bhola’s wife, Gurpreet Kaur, Avtar’s wife, Sandeep Kaur, Jagminder Kaur Aulakh, Gurmeet Kaur, Aramjit Singh, and Bhola’s father-in-law, Dilip Maan, were sentenced to three years each. Besides, Gurpreet Singh, Subhash Bajaj and Ankur Bajaj received five-year sentences each.
Out of the 23 accused, four have died, including Bhola’s father, Balshinder, who was also an accused. Two persons remain proclaimed offenders. Detailed orders are yet to be released.
Former Deputy Director of ED Niranjan Singh, who led the investigation, said the convicted persons had accumulated properties worth over Rs 400 crore through drug trafficking. These assets, located in various regions, have been attached.
The case came to light in 2013 when the Punjab Police arrested Jagdish Singh Bhola, an Arjuna Award-winning wrestler, and dismissed DSP. The investigation revealed an extensive drug racket with international links. Further investigation revealed that the drug racket was worth Rs 6,000 crore. In 2019, the CBI court sentenced 25 persons under the NDPS Act. The ED’s investigation found that the accused had amassed substantial properties without paying income tax, indicating involvement in illegal activities. Consequently, the ED attached luxurious properties, industrial plots, and other assets in Mohali and other locations.
Following the death of his father, Balshinder Singh, on July 24, Jagdish Bhola attended the funeral from jail on July 26. He alleged government conspiracy and demanded a CBI investigation into the case. Bhola said he should be given the death penalty if found guilty, vowing never to retreat from his stance.
Meanwhile, the verdict on the remaining three chargesheets is awaited.
- PTC NEWS
