Wanted criminal operates drug nexus via WhatsApp

Ludhiana: Four members of a drug nexus operated by a wanted criminal Pankaj Rajput were arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) with 2.23 kg heroin, worth Rs 11 crore, and a sedan.
STF officials said Pankaj Rajput has several criminal cases against him and is wanted by the Ludhiana city police too.
The arrested accused were identified as Satinder Singh Shinda (40) of Koom Kalan village, Manpritpal Singh Pratty (25) of Jamalpur area, Mohit Saini (22) of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony of Moti Nagar and Navpreet Singh Shubham (23) of Jamalpur. Police have also nominated Rajput and another aide named Rocky in the FIR.
Inspector Harbans Singh said acting on a tip-off, the STF established a checkpost at Machhiwara road towards Pratapgarh chowk and stopped the car (DL-2C-AW-7284) of the accused. On frisking, the STF seized 2.23 kg heroin from under the drivers’ seat. According to information, the gang members were travelling from Koom Kalan side towards Bhaini Sahib and Katani Kalan to supply drugs to their customers.
The inspector said Rajput operated the nexus using international WhatsApp number and had sent a person named Rocky to hand over heroin to the arrested accused.
The inspector said Manpritpal Singh Pratty is a member of the notorious Puneet Bains gang of Ludhiana. Pratty has several criminal cases of scuffles, murder bid, arms act, firing and drug peddling. He was lodged in Ludhiana central jail when he along with his aides was booked for orchestrating an attack outside their rival’s house in Dharampura in June 2020. Pratty had come out on bail about a year back. He has also been running a business of construction material and has been into drug peddling for easy money, officials said. Further, Mohit Saini also has six FIRs against him on drug peddling, murder bid and arms act. Navpreet also has over six FIRs under different charges against him, while Satinder has a scuffle and two drug peddling cases on him.
The official said all accused have been into drug peddling for the past four years. The STF had got their dope tests done and all have tested positive. Besides, the STF had also arrested Mohit’s brother Naveen Saini with medicinal drugs who came out on bail on March 9 this year. After coming out on bail, Naveen along with his brother Mohit, Pratty and another accused Rohit alias Ravi had fired gunshots at a man named Harwinder Singh in Moti Nagar area.