Chandigarh, August 9
Punjab Finance Minister and Chairman of the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ Cabinet Subcommittee, Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema, announced today that the arrest of Joga Singh, former security officer to MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, is a significant step toward justice for the victims of the 2015 Gurdev Singh Debi drug racket. Cheema said that the decade-long delay in the case was due to the alleged involvement of culprits who had political connections with the Shiromani Akali Dal and Congress leadership.
Speaking at a press conference here at Punjab Bhawan, the Finance Minister detailed the events leading to Joga Singh’s arrest. Joga Singh had been absconding since being nominated as an accused on September 28, 2023. His bail was denied by the session court in Fazilka in October 2023 and by the high court in January 2024. Despite numerous police raids, he remained at large. Joga Singh was finally detained by immigration authorities at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, while attempting to flee to Australia, due to a Look Out Circular (LoC) issued by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in November 2023. He was taken on transit remand and produced before the court in Jalalabad, which granted a five-day police remand.
The Finance Minister further disclosed that Joga Singh played a key role in facilitating communication between Sukhpal Singh Khaira and both Gurdev Singh, the convicted in this case, and Gurdev Singh’s UK-based sister, Charanjit Kaur. The Finance Minister said that Joga Singh used his mobile phone to arrange these calls while Gurdev Singh was a fugitive. The minister further added that call detail analysis showed multiple instances where Joga Singh and Gurdev Singh were at the same location, even in Khaira’s absence.
The Finance Minister also provided an update on the state’s “Yudh Nashian Virudh” (War Against Drugs) campaign, which began on March 1, 2025. He said that since the campaign’s inception, 16,062 cases have been registered under the NDPS Act, leading to the arrest of 25,177 individuals. Additionally, 178 illegal properties belonging to drug smugglers have been demolished. Major seizures include 1,044 kg of heroin, 21,309 kg of poppy husk, 365 kg of opium, and nearly 3.2 million tablets, capsules, and pills.
Reiterating the Punjab Government’s commitment to eradicating the drug menace, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that under the visionary leadership of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab has become the first state in India to equip its police force with a drone system valued at Rs 51.41 crore to aid in the anti-drug efforts. He said that this technological advancement marks a significant step forward in enhancing the effectiveness of anti-drug operations at the international borders of the state.
