Amritsar: ‘Suspended’ AAP Leader and Two Others Arrested with 4 kg of Heroin

Punjab: The Amritsar Rural Police arrested three individuals on Thursday, seizing 4.3 kilograms of heroin from their possession. Following this, the SAD alleged that one of the arrested individuals was a youth leader of the AAP. Denying this allegation, the ruling AAP stated that Lovepreet Singh—a resident of Kot Hridaya Ram village—had been “suspended” from the party in January due to “anti-party activities.” The other two individuals arrested by the police have been identified as Simarpreet Singh of Kot Hridaya Ram village and Balwant Singh of Verka. The Mehta Police apprehended them while they were traveling in a car from Buttar Kalan village towards Kathunangal. In addition to the heroin, a pistol and four rounds of ammunition were also recovered from them.
Amritsar (Rural) SSP Sohel Qasim Mir stated, “Acting on a tip-off, the Mehta Police signaled an SUV to stop. However, the occupants sped away from the scene. Subsequently, a police team gave chase and intercepted the car on the Buttar Kalan village–Kathunangal road.” During the search, the police recovered 4.3 kilograms of heroin, along with a .30 bore pistol and four live cartridges. He further added, “During the course of the investigation, the weapon was also found to be illegal.” Immediately following the arrests, photographs of Lovepreet posing with AAP leaders surfaced on social media. He is reportedly a close confidant of Talbir Gill, the AAP in-charge for the Majitha constituency. Repeated attempts to contact Gill proved futile. AAP District President Prabhbir Brar stated that Lovepreet Singh had been “suspended” from the party in January on account of “anti-party activities.” He asserted that the arrest was a direct result of the war waged by the ruling party against drug trafficking.
He further added, “His arrest is a consequence of the government’s anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashiyan Virudh’ (War Against Drugs).” Meanwhile, senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia took to his social media handle ‘X’ to label the individual a “big fish,” claiming that he serves as Gill’s personal assistant. He asserted that the Punjab government’s anti-drug campaign has once again been exposed. He demanded that the NCB conduct a thorough investigation into this entire network and its political connections. Reacting to this development, SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler called upon central agencies to conduct a detailed inquiry. He alleged that the accused was apprehended while transporting contraband, thereby indicating the involvement of a larger network. He also cited a previous incident in Tarn Taran, where a central agency had caught an AAP Sarpanch in possession of a large quantity of heroin.