2 city women, Moga tea seller arrested for running drug racket

Ludhiana: The Special Task Force (Ludhiana range) has arrested two Shimlapuri-based women and a tea vendor from Moga with 2.2kg heroin worth Rs 11 crore, Rs 2 lakh drug money and a car.

The accused — Kewal Krishan Kala, 45, of Mohalla Bedi Nagar in Moga; Poonam Rani, 40, of New Shimlapuri; and Payal, 21, of New Govind Nagar in Shimlapuri — were arrested from Shimlapuri when they about to board a car to deliver the contraband to their customers, said Snehdeep Sharma, AIG, STF Ludhiana-Ferozepur range, on Thursday.

Fourth accused and Payal’s husband Sanjeev Kumar is still at large.

Snehdeep said an STF team got a tip-off, with the informer saying Kewal Krishan, Sanjeev Kumar, his wife Payal of New Govind Nagar in Shimlapuri and Poonam Rani had been into

drug peddling

for long. They used to pool money to buy drugs and sell the same and divide the profit among themselves, the officer added.

STF officials said with the money, the accused had bought vehicles and used the same to supply heroin to their customers. They said the accused had also bought legal and illegal properties with the drug money.

He said during checking, Poonam was found to be carrying 1kg heroin and Rs 2 lakh drug money; Payal had 900g heroin and Kewal Krishan possessed 300g heroin.

Inspector Harbans Singh, STF in-charge Ludhiana, said during questioning, Kewal Krishan revealed that he had a tea stall in Gulabi Bagh Moga, while Payal said she used to give private tuition at home. Poonam’s husband Balwinder Kumar is lodged in Faridkot jail for his involvement in drug peddling cases in Mga and Ferozepur. He said Sanjeev Kumar used to procure heroin and they would sell the same at higher rates.

STF officials said the accused confessed that they had been into the trade for the past two years.