Zirakpur drug haul: Alleged militant among two arrested

Two persons, including an alleged militant of Bhindranwale Tigers Force, were arrested by the Punjab Police in connection with the Zirakpur drug haul.
"BTF terrorist Kulbir Singh Assandh, a resident of Karnal, Haryana and another person Rajinder Singh alias Raj, a resident of Sangrur district were arrested last night," Hardyal Singh Mann, Senior Superintendent of Police told reporters here today.
With this arrest, the total number of those arrested in the case has gone up to 13, which included two NRIs Anoop Singh Kahlon and Kulwant Singh.
The duo were arrested last night, as a team of police led by Sirhind SHO Sukhdev Singh was checking vehicles near GT Road, Sirhind, the SSP said.

"On a tip-off, they intercepted a car driven by Rajinder Singh, while Kulbir Singh Assandh was on back seat," he said.
"During search of the car, the police recovered 10 KG sedative powder (Ephedrine). Both the suspects had links with notorious drug kingpin Ranjit Kandnola, who is absconding," the officer said.

The SSP said during interrogation both the suspects told the police that they were involved in smuggling of drugs for a long time.
They got sedative chemical powder allegedly from the factory of a former DSP of Meerut Kirpal Singh and had links with various persons, including NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon alias Rubby, Jagdish Singh Bhola (absconding) and Raja Kandola, he said.

The SSP said that the alleged militant hailed from Assandh town of Karnal district and was living in Sector 6-A, Karnal since 1998 in a rented house.
"He was booked earlier in various cases including that of murder and kidnapping in mid-eighties. The role of the two in the drug trade is being probed," Mann said.
Mann said that Fatehgarh Sahib Police have recovered heroin and chemical powder worth Rs 200 crore since the arrest of Kahlon earlier this month.
The police is conducting raids to arrest the kingpin of gang, Jagdish Singh Bhola, who is a dismissed Punjab Police DSP.