Jagdish Bhola, convict in Rs 700cr drug racket, walks out of prison after 12 years
A bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court had granted him bail on May 21, with various conditions, including a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties.
Bhola had won a silver medal in the Asian Wrestling Championship in 1991 and appeared in the Punjabi movie Rustam-e-Hind in 2008. A deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Bhola was dismissed from Punjab Police in 2012. He was arrested in Nov 2013 in connection with a Rs 700-crore drug racket.
Bhola was in jail for nearly 12 years. He has been convicted twice — in 2019 and 2024.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) named him an accused in the multi-crore synthetic narcotics racket after an investigation into money laundering was initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2013.
In Feb 2019, Bhola was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in jail by a special CBI court in Mohali in the Rs 700-crore drug racket busted Punjab Police in 2013.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025
Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List
Undo
Punjab Police had seized heroin, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, intoxicating powder, and Rs 1.91 crore, besides some foreign currency and arms from him.
In the second conviction, Bhola was sentenced to 10 years in jail in a drug-linked money laundering case of Mohali in July 2024.
Earlier, the disgraced cop and wrestler was allowed to visit his native village, Raike Kalan in Bathinda district, for five hours to perform the last rites of his father, Balshinder Singh, on Jul 26, 2024. Before this, he had come out to perform the last rites of his mother for a brief period in Jun 2023.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Odisha horror: Two separate rape cases of minor girls lodged in Malkangiri; rape victim delivers stillborn
NEW DELHI: Two separate rape cases have been reported from Odisha's Malkangiri district, with police confirming the arrest of two persons. In one of the cases, the survivor delivered a stillborn baby, according to PTI. According to Additional SP Rashmiranjan Senapati, the first incident occurred on July 20 in a village under Orkel police station. A 50-year-old man allegedly offered a girl a lift while she was on her way to her uncle's house and instead took her to a forested area where he raped her. The survivor informed her family the following day. After villagers failed to act, her uncle filed a police complaint on Saturday. 'As the villagers could not take any action, I took the matter to the police,' he said in the complaint. The accused was arrested the next day, police confirmed. The second incident was reported from the Mudulipada police station area. According to police, the survivor had allegedly been raped since 2024. The case surfaced after she gave birth to a stillborn baby at a government hospital. Following a complaint by her family, the accused was arrested. Earlier on July 20, another shocking case emerged from the district where a girl was gang-raped twice within hours first by three men and later by a truck driver who found her in distress. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Expense Of Toothbringing For The Elderly Could Blow You Off Dental Implant | Search ADS Search Now Undo All four accused were arrested. The recent wave of crimes against women in Odisha has raised questions over law and order under the BJP-led government, which completed one year in office. The BJP, however, has claimed that swift action has been taken whenever such incidents have come to light. (The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Hyd police blow lid off illegal surrogacy racket
Hyderabad: Hyderabad City Police with the support of the Medical and Health department busted an illegal surrogacy and baby selling racket. Police arrested eight persons, including the doctor and owner of Universal Srushti Fertility Centre in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh. The arrested persons were Dr Athaluri Namratha Pachipala (64), owner of Universal Srushti Fertility Centre, and associates Pachipala Jayanth Krishna (25), C Kalyani Atchayyamma (40), working as Manager at the centre, Gollamandala Chenna Rao (37), Lab Technician & Embryologist, Nargula Sadanandam (41), Anesthesia Specialist and working doctor in Gandhi Hospital, Dhanasri Santoshi (38), Mohammed Ali Adik (38), and Nasreen Begum (25), all three native of Assam. According to police, the complainant couple approached Universal Srushti Fertility Centre located in Gopalapuram in August 2024 for fertility and IVF consultation. There they met Dr Namrata who after conducting fertility related tests advised them to go for surrogacy. The couple was directed to another branch of the clinic at Visakhapatnam for collection of specimens and were told that the surrogate will be arranged by the clinic and the embryo would be transplanted to the surrogate. 'Over the course of 9 months, the couple made several payments to the clinic and updates as to the baby's health were given by the clinic. In June 2025, the complainant was informed that the surrogate had delivered a baby boy via C-section in Visakhapatnam and that they should pay extra amount for the delivery charges and collect the baby from Visakhapatnam,' said S Rashmi Perumal, DCP North Zone. The DCP said the complainant reached Vizag and the baby boy was handed over to her along with documentation which showed registration of the child as having been born to the couple themselves, creating a false birth certificate document. 'Overall, the clinic took over Rs 35 lakhs from the couple as consultation charges for the procedures. Later, the couple went in for a DNA test which revealed that the child's DNA did not match theirs at all. They tried to get in touch with the clinic, but they were refused any documentation and were threatened, which prompted them to approach the police,' said the DCP. Rashmi said that in an inquiry it was revealed that the main accused, Dr Namratha was conducting a large-scale illegal surrogacy and fertility scam. She began medical practice in 1995 and transitioned into fertility and IVF services from 1998. Over the years, she expanded into unethical and illegal practices, collecting Rs 20 – Rs 30 lakh from each client under false promises. 'She, along with associates, targeted vulnerable women, particularly those seeking abortions and lured them into continuing pregnancies in exchange for money. These newborns were then passed off as children conceived through surrogacy, misleading clients into believing the babies were biologically theirs.' The original parents of the baby were identified (native of Assam and living in Hyderabad) and the delivery was planned at Vizag. After taking the baby, a paltry sum was handed over to them and the couple was sent back to Hyderabad. On charges of baby selling, the original parents were also tracked and arrested. A simultaneous raid was planned at Hyderabad and Vizag clinics, which led to several arrests. With the help of the medical department, the clinic at Gopalapuram was seized and large-scale equipment was found at the area which substantiated the facts that the accused was conducting IVF treatments, creating live embryos, doing real medical procedures without any proper license. Gopalapuram police seized medical equipment and medicines being used at the clinic, mobile phones and digital devices, case records and surrogacy documents seized with help from Medical and Health Department officials. More than 10 cases have been registered previously so far. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and further legal action is being pursued. The Medical and Health Department had cancelled the registration of the fertility clinic previously, but the accused continued to operate the place from the building and put the name of another certified doctor Dr. Suri Shrimati on the official letter pads of the clinic.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Pakistan: Protest against counter-terror ops turns deadly in KPK as 3 killed in firing by gunmen
Three people were killed and several injured after gunmen opened fire on a protest in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Locals were demonstrating against counter-terror operations following a girl's death in a mortar strike. read more Unknown gunmen opened fire on a protest in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, killing three people and injuring several others, news agency PTI reported, citing officials. The demonstrations were staged against ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the region. The protest erupted in the Tirah Valley after a young girl was killed a day earlier in a mortar attack in Zakha Khel, located in Khyber District. In response, angry locals gathered and placed the girl's body outside the Momand Ghuz security checkpoint to demand accountability. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Suhail Afridi, special assistant to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, confirmed that the protesters were fired upon by terrorists, leaving three people dead and eight injured. Pak's deep-rooted security challenge Terrorism remains a major security threat in Pakistan, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Ironically, while Pakistan presents itself internationally as a victim of terrorism, it has long been accused of supporting extremist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, especially in their operations against India. Military operations and human rights concerns Inside its borders, Pakistan has waged several large-scale military operations—such as Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad—to dismantle militant networks. Yet groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State (IS) affiliates, and Baloch separatist outfits remain active, frequently targeting civilians, security forces, and critical infrastructure. The state's heavy-handed counter-terror tactics have led to serious human rights abuses, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and unlawful detentions. These actions have deepened mistrust among citizens and eroded confidence in the rule of law. Persistent militancy and regional hotspots The tribal belt near the Afghan border continues to be a hub of militant activity. Meanwhile, Balochistan has witnessed an uptick in violence, often directed at Chinese projects tied to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Though urban centers like Karachi and Lahore have seen a relative decline in attacks, the threat of sleeper cells and lone-wolf actors remains. Worsening rights crisis in Balochistan In Balochistan, the security situation is compounded by long-standing grievances over political marginalisation and economic exploitation. The region has become a focal point of allegations regarding systemic human rights violations, particularly targeting students, activists, and political dissenters. Human rights watchdogs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have documented repeated cases of torture, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial killings—often attributed to state agencies operating without accountability. Enforced disappearances and public outrage Families of the disappeared frequently organise sit-ins and protests, displaying photographs of their missing loved ones and demanding justice. Thousands of cases have been reported to Pakistan's Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, with Balochistan accounting for a disproportionate share. However, few have been resolved, and the perpetrators rarely face consequences. Suppressing dissent through fear Activists argue that these disappearances are part of a broader strategy to suppress the Baloch nationalist movement and silence dissent against controversial state-led projects like CPEC. The lack of judicial oversight, transparency, and accountability has only widened the trust deficit between the Baloch people and the federal government—fuelling further instability in an already volatile region.
