Guwahati: Gangster-cum-drug lord Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is also an accused in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, has been shifted to Assam’s Silchar jail from Central Jail at Bathinda.
He was detained by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB ) under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act on Sunday and shifted to a Silchar jail in Assam from Punjab.
He is the first gangster from the state who has been detained under this act.
As per reports, on March 22, a joint team of the NCB and Punjab police escorted Bhagwanpuria from Bathinda to Chandigarh under heavy security cover. He was flown to Assam via Delhi and Kolkata.
He was lodged in Bathinda Central Jail and has 128 FIRs registered against him in Punjab and other states.
The gangster was arrested in a murder case in 2015 and since then has been lodged in several jails in the state.
A four-member NCB team oversaw the transfer of this gangster. This transfer of Singh took place following a directive dated March 21, from the Joint Secretary (PIT-NDPS).
The NCB carried out his immediate transfer from high-security Bathinda to Central Jail at Silchar in Assam.
The PIT-NDPS Act of 1988 provides for the “detention of persons concerned in any manner with illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances for one or two year(s) with a view to preventing them from engaging in such harmful and prejudicial activities”.
The move comes amid growing concerns about gang activities inside Punjab prisons.
Intelligence reports indicate his involvement with Pakistan-based suppliers and international networks in Canada and the US, underscoring the transnational nature of his activities.
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Sources said the PIT-NDPS case was registered against Bhagwanpuria following a detailed investigation in which it was established with evidence how he was allegedly running his operations and orchestrating drug trafficking, extortion besides violent activities from behind bars.
He was also using smuggled mobiles as he was issuing instructions and talking via encrypted communication to coordinate supply chains through an extensive network of operatives.
