Three persons, including a Punjab Police constable who was recently deployed as the gunman of former Congress MLA and District Congress Committee (DCC) president Kulbir Singh Zira, were apprehended with 525 grams of opium near the international border in Tarn Taran district on Tuesday evening.
The arrests were made during a joint operation by the Border Security Force’s (BSF) 142 Battalion and the Punjab Police near Border Outpost (BOP) Mangli, under the jurisdiction of Khalra police station.
Three Accused Apprehended Near Border
According to the information available, BSF personnel apprehended the three accused around 4.30 pm while they were travelling in a Mahindra Bolero bearing registration number PB-03-F-0047. A subsequent search led to the recovery of 525 grams of opium from their possession.
The accused were identified as Amarjit Singh, a resident of Sulyani village and a Punjab Police constable bearing belt number 1505/FZR; Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Sner Road in Zira; and Jagbir Singh, a resident of Buian village in Ferozepur district.
Amarjit Singh had reportedly been deployed as Kulbir Singh Zira’s gunman a few days before the incident.
Zira Alleges Conspiracy Over Security Deployment
Following the arrests, Zira released a video message in which he alleged that the state government and the police department had deliberately assigned Amarjit Singh to his security detail as part of a plan to eliminate him in a staged encounter.
Zira said his previous gunman had been unwell, following which Amarjit was assigned security duty. However, the former MLA alleged that the constable began showing reluctance to perform his duties barely an hour after reporting and later left without informing him.
Former MLA Warns Government and Police
Zira further warned that the state government and the police department would be responsible if any harm came to him. His allegations raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the constable’s recent deployment and subsequent apprehension.
However, the allegations made by Zira could not be independently verified. The circumstances of the alleged conspiracy, if any, remain unestablished based on the information available.
The case has drawn attention because one of the three persons apprehended in the opium seizure was a serving police constable who had recently been assigned to the former MLA’s security detail.
