4 stolen SUVs recovered from synthetic drug racketeers: Police

Punjab Police today claimed that the accused in the synthetic drug racket case were also involved in stealing cars and reselling them after forging papers, as the Congress alleged politician-police-drug mafia nexus in the state and demanded a probe into it.
The ongoing investigations into the multi-crore synthetic drug racket led to the recovery of four stolen sports utility vehicles (SUVs), police said.
According to investigators, the racketeers used to steal high-end vehicles and resell them after preparing fake papers and forging the engine and chassis numbers.
The gang would collect information about vehicles which met accidents and were in totally irreparable condition, police said, adding that then they would steal a similar car and use its registration details to sell the stolen one. The gang had spread its network across the country, they claimed.

Police suspect that some officials of the registration department worked hand in glove with the gang members.
The arrested gang members had been remanded to police custody till November 22.

The synthetic drug racket was busted with the recent arrests of mastermind Arjuna awardee Jagdish Bhola and his four associates, major supplier Jagjit Singh Chahal and Manjinder Singh Aulakh.
Meanwhile, the state Congress unit today demanded an independent commission of inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the High Court or a CBI probe into the alleged politician- police-drug mafia nexus.
Slamming Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for "very cleverly" passing the buck to the Centre for not checking the drug trafficking on the international borders, a party spokesman said Badal was trying to divert people's attention from his government's failure in this regard.

The recent arrests of racketeers have brought to fore a "nexus" among politicians, police and the drug mafia.
"Such colossal seizures of drugs being manufactured on the soil of Punjab clearly indicate that the roots of drugs lies within the state and not across the border, as being claimed by the CM," the spokesman said.
He asked Badal to explain if SAD leaders were involved in the synthetic drug racket. There are indications that Akali leaders were involved in the drug racket and had links across the border and the matter needs a thorough probe, he said.
Badal had yesterday said strict action would be taken against those involved in the drug racket, "however mighty the person might be".