August 18th 2023.
Chandigarh: The district court in Mohali has declared the dismissed assistant inspector general of Punjab police, Raj Jit Singh, as a proclaimed offender in a drugs smuggling case.
The former police officer, who was dismissed from service on April 17th for colluding with drug smugglers, framing innocent people, and running an extortion racket, failed to appear before the court as an accused. As a result, the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Mohali, on Thursday pronounced Raj Jit Singh a proclaimed offender.
The court proceedings were delayed, as counsel HS Dhanoa sought to defer the proceedings for five to seven days to wait for the order of the Supreme Court, where the matter was subjudice.
The Mohali district court had initiated the proclamation proceedings against Raj Jit Singh in July this year, after they had issued warrants against him. He was asked to be present before the court on or before August 17th, but since he failed to appear, the order was pronounced on Thursday.
It may be recalled that Raj Jit Singh also faces a vigilance bureau probe into the assets alleged to have been amassed by him through the drugs smuggling. The home department's dismissal orders stated that Raj Jit Singh was the first SSP-rank officer to be dismissed on drug charges, and that he had colluded with smugglers, framed innocent persons in false cases, and ran an extortion racket along with another police officer, Inderjit Singh.
Inderjit Singh, who had been dismissed in June 2017 on the charges of drug smuggling, had also worked under the dismissed AIG. He had joined the Punjab police as a constable in 1986, and had been given out-of-turn promotions and was promoted to the rank of inspector.
This is not the only case of ex-convicts being re-arrested for drug smuggling. Two inmates who met in jail were recently re-arrested for the same crime in Mumbai after they were released.
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