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A joint team of Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence Wing and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday night arrested Sunny Verma, the brother-in-law of known drug trafficker Akshay Chhabra, in connection to a 40-kilo heroin seizure that was made in Ludhiana last year.
Sunny Verma, a resident of Ludhiana, was brought to the NCB headquarters in Mohali for further interrogation after his arrest.
As per details, the joint team recovered at least 79,000 Euros, suspected to be proceeds from drug sales, as well as 2.5 kilos of gold bullion from Jalandhar and Ludhiana on Saturday after Sunny’s arrest.
Akshay Chhabra’s drug syndicate was busted in November 2022 with the arrest of two Afghan nationals, who were chemists. The NCB probe had revealed that Akshay used to smuggle raw material from other countries and the two chemists used to turn the same into drugs. Two laboratories, located in Ludhiana where the raw material was processed into contraband, have also been seized by the NCB.
A source in the knowhow of Friday’s raid said, “Sunny Verma is connected to Akshay Chhabra and was aware about his drug trade. We believe that he too is involved in drug smuggling and played a pivotal role in handling the money for the international drug syndicate that was dismantled by the NCB last year.”
Akshay was nabbed from Jaipur airport in 2022 and is currently in judicial custody.
The source added, “Sunny is at present being interrogated at the Narcotics Control Bureau headquarters in Mohali. The operation to nab him was conducted under utmost secrecy and was led by AIG (Counter Intelligence), Navjot Singh Mahal. Sunny was on the run since Akshay’s arrest last year and was known to change his location frequently. He was finally arrested from Ludhiana.”
Deputy Director General, NCB, Gyaneshwar Singh, said, “As of now, we have seized a total of 40 kilos of heroin and 0.557 kilos of opium. At least 18 individuals associated with this network have been arrested, all of whom were involved in illicit activities being orchestrated by Akshay Chhabra in Ludhiana.”
The probe in the case so far has found that Akshay was heavily involved in the liquor business of Ludhiana. In January this year, the NCB seized at least 66 liquor vends being operated by Akshay. The anti-narcotics agency had later established that the black money earned through drug smuggling by Akshay had been invested in these liquor vends. Chhabra has a stake of 25 per cent in three liquor companies — Fortis Group, Dholewal Group and Gill Chowk Group.
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