Notorious drug trafficker from Amritsar detained by NCB’s Chandigarh unit

The NCB has detained Amritsar-based drug trafficker Sandeep Singh alias Chatha under the PITNDPS Act for running a large interstate heroin network. (Representative Photo)

Sandeep Singh, alias Chatha, a notorious drug trafficker from Amritsar district, has been detained under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988, by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh.

The Narcotics Control Bureau, Chandigarh Zonal Unit, in coordination with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab Police, detained Chatha.

As per NCB officials, Sandeep, a resident of Rasulpur Rohi village in Amritsar, is a listed history-sheeter with involvement in at least seven criminal cases, including three under the NDPS Act, registered since 2013. His name first surfaced in drug trafficking investigations during 2017–18, when he was arrested twice by the Tarn Taran and Amritsar police in separate heroin-related cases.

Despite repeated arrests, NCB officials said that Sandeep continued to expand his narcotics network, gradually scaling up operations with interstate and cross-border links. His activities came under focus again in 2022, when the NCB Chandigarh Zonal Unit arrested him in a case during a crackdown on an organised drug syndicate. During the operation, the NCB dismantled two illegal drug processing laboratories and seized a large haul of narcotics and precursor chemicals, including 40 kg heroin, 557 grams of opium and over 23 kg caffeine, besides chemicals used for heroin processing. The agency also recovered 31 live cartridges and one magazine, and arrested 22 members of the syndicate, stated the NCB.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Sandeep played a key operational role in handling high-volume heroin consignments across multiple states. He was also found to be involved in the transportation of 120 kg raw heroin from Ludhiana to Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.

A parallel financial probe led to the freezing of movable and immovable assets worth Rs 58.6 crore in the case, including properties worth Rs 34.77 lakh allegedly acquired illegally by Sandeep.

The agency established his links with Jagdeep Singh, a notorious criminal accused of facilitating the supply of weapons and narcotics from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, Delhi and Haryana. Both were earlier arrested together in a 2017 Tarn Taran police case and had remained lodged in the same prison.

Given the scale of operations and the risk of continued trafficking, the NCB pursued a proposal for Sandeep’s preventive detention in September 2025. The Centre issued the detention order on November 27, 2025, which was executed on January 7 after coordinated efforts by the NCB and ANTF.

The NCB, Chandigarh, has said that three other persons linked to Sandeep have been detained under PITNDPS Act in jails outside Punjab, namely Akshay Chabra and Jaspal Goldy in Dibrugarh, Assam, and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria in Silchar, Assam. Chatha is fourth member of this syndicate to be detained outside Punjab.