Punjab Gangster Transferred to Assam's Silchar Jail Under PITNDPS Act

Notorious gangster and drug trafficker Jagdeep Singh, alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, has been transferred from Bathinda in Punjab to Central Jail, Silchar in Assam under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday.

A native of Punjab's Gurdaspur, Bhagwanpuria has been implicated in 128 criminal cases, including high-profile murders, extortion, arms smuggling, and multiple violations of the NDPS Act since 2012. He is also an accused in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. His extensive criminal network is known for trafficking heroin, opium, psychotropic substances, and illegal arms.

Authorities stated that despite being held in high-security prisons in Punjab, Bhagwanpuria continued to orchestrate criminal activities using mobile phones from jail. His links with international operatives in Canada, the USA, and Pakistan prompted law enforcement agencies to transfer him to Assam to curb his operations.

In a similar move, two other high-profile drug traffickers, Akshay Chhabra and Jaspal Goldy, were relocated from Punjab to Dibrugarh Central Jail under the PITNDPS Act, as they continued their illicit activities while incarcerated. Additionally, Balwinder Singh, alias Billa Havellian, a long-time offender engaged in cross-border smuggling since 1992, was detained under the same Act at Dibrugarh Central Jail on August 13, 2024.