NCB Detains Notorious Drug Lords Chhabra and Goldy Under PITNDPS Act

The NCB has detained drug lords Akshay Chhabra and Jaspal Singh, alias Goldy, under the PITNDPS Act to curtail their smuggling activities. Their arrests follow ongoing investigations revealing extensive narco-smuggling operations. The Chandigarh Zonal Unit has also frozen significant assets linked to their syndicate.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained notorious drug lords Akshay Chhabra and Jaspal Singh, alias Goldy, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act on Saturday. According to a press release from the NCB's Chandigarh Zonal Unit, the duo will be held in Dibrugarh, Assam, to curb their narcotic-smuggling operations.

The press release highlighted that both detainees continued their illicit activities despite being imprisoned, leading to three new FIRs against Akshay Chhabra and one additional FIR against Goldy under the NDPS Act. This marks the second such operation by the NCB aimed at dismantling the jail-based drug mafia network in the region.

In a similar action on August 13, the NCB arrested Balwinder Singh, known as Billa Havellian. Akshay Chhabra was apprehended at Jaipur International Airport while trying to flee to Sharjah, UAE, on November 24, 2022. During the investigation, Jaspal Singh alias Goldy emerged as a key figure in Chhabra's drug syndicate, which has smuggled around 1400 kg of heroin from various locations including ICP Attari in Punjab, Mundra Sea Port in Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir.

In total, the NCB has arrested 20 individuals in this case, including the kingpin, traffickers, white-collar criminals, and two Afghan nationals. The bureau has seized around 40 kg of heroin, 0.557 kg of opium, 23.645 kg of suspected narcotics powder, four bottles of hydrochloric acid, 31 live bullets, and a magazine. Two heroin processing hideouts have also been dismantled.

The NCB's Chandigarh Zonal Unit has frozen over Rs 57 crore in immovable and movable assets linked to this drug syndicate so far. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)