Dismissed Punjab Police Assistant Inspector General Raj Jit Singh has been arrested in Patiala after remaining on the run for more than three years in connection with allegations involving drug trafficking, corruption and a police-smuggler nexus. The Punjab Police Anti-Narcotics Task Force arrested Singh on Thursday morning after tracking his movements using technical surveillance, according to the report.
The arrest comes after the Supreme Court on Sept. 10 directed Singh to surrender following an offer from his legal team that he would turn himself in. The matter arose during proceedings on a special leave petition seeking to have the investigation transferred outside Punjab.
Singh was dismissed by the Punjab government on April 17, 2023, following three Special Investigation Team reports submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. According to the reports cited in the article, investigators alleged Singh had colluded with dismissed police inspector Inderjit Singh and drug networks. The SIT alleged that while Raj Jit served as Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police, the pair protected traffickers, implicated innocent people and interfered with investigations.
Investigators also alleged the two exploited weaknesses in cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act to extort money and facilitate bail and acquittals for alleged traffickers. Raj Jit is named in a 2017 case involving NDPS Act provisions and IPC offences and faces separate proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act and NDPS Act. A Vigilance Bureau investigation is also examining ₹13 crore in allegedly unexplained transactions.
Authorities are additionally pursuing the attachment of nine properties linked to Singh and valued at more than ₹4 crore. Co-accused former inspector Inderjit Singh remains in separate custody and is facing proceedings under money-laundering and narcotics laws.
