In an unprecedented judgment, a Mohali Court on Tuesday handed down the largest conviction order in terms of the number of accused in a single case in Enforcement Directorate (ED) history. The court sentenced 17 individuals, including the kingpin Jagdish Singh Bhola — a dismissed Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) — to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for their involvement in a Rs 6000 crore drugs trafficking-linked money-laundering case.

Bhola, a former Arjuna awardee wrestler turned high-ranking police officer, was at the center of a vast narcotics smuggling and money-laundering network. Bhola’s fall from grace began when investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) were launched in 2013. The investigation was triggered by eight First Information Reports (FIRs) filed at various police stations across Punjab during the tenure of the SAD-BJP government.

In this landmark case, judgments have been delivered for four charge sheets, with three still pending.

The special PMLA court not only sentenced Bhola but also fined him Rs 50,000, with an additional year of imprisonment if he fails to pay. With him, Manpreet, Sukhraj, Sukhjeet Sukha, Maninder, Davinder Singh Happy, and Avtar Singh were awarded 10-year RI.

Besides, Bhola’s wife Gurpreet Kaur, Avtar’s wife Sandeep Kaur, Jagminder Kaur Aulakh, Gurmeet Kaur, Aramjit Singh, and Bhola’s father-in-law Dilip Mann were sentenced to three years each; while Gurpreet Singh, Subhash Bajaj, and Ankur Bajaj received five-year sentences.

Of the total 23 accused, four are deceased, including Bhola’s father Balshinder, and two remain proclaimed offenders (POs).

The judgment came days after Bhola’s father, Balshinder Singh, passed away on July 24. During Bhola’s visit to his village on July 26 for the funeral, he alleged that governments were conspiring against him. Bhola demanded a CBI investigation into the case, stating that if found guilty, he should be sentenced to death, and insisted he would never back down.

The Legal Odyssey

The ED's case against Bhola and his associates is one of the most significant in recent memory, both in scope and in the sheer volume of assets involved. Property worth Rs 95 crore has been provisionally attached, reflecting the immense scale of the drug smuggling operation.  A former ED deputy director and lead investigator on the case Niranjan Singh expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, highlighting the meticulous and extensive investigation that led to these convictions.

The investigation also uncovered that the accused had amassed property worth crores of rupees without paying any income tax. Their reported income was disproportionately high, indicating involvement in illicit activities. Consequently, the ED attached their assets, including luxurious bungalows, industrial plots, and other properties spanning from Mohali to various locations. The probe uncovered property worth over Rs 400 crore, amassed through drug trafficking, which has now been attached. The assets, located across various sites, were seized following a thorough investigation. Niranjan Singh noted that no action was taken during the 18-month COVID-19 period.

Case Came to Light 11 Years Ago

The case first came to light in 2013 when Punjab Police arrested Arjuna Award-winning wrestler Rustam-e-Hind and dismissed DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola. It was revealed that the racket extended from Punjab to international locations, causing a political and sporting uproar in the State. Questions were raised about several local leaders. Investigations uncovered an Rs 6,000 crore drug racket. In 2019, a CBI court sentenced 25 individuals under the NDPS Act in this matter.  The Bhola Drugs case is a stark reminder of the pervasive and insidious nature of the drug trade in India. The operation reportedly involved smuggling synthetic drugs worth thousands of crores, with the proceeds being laundered through various channels. The case has exposed the deep-rooted connections between organized crime and corrupt officials, shedding light on the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in combating such networks.