Police suspect Ludhiana court blast accused of amassing wealth through drug smuggling

Gagandeep was posted as Munshi in Khanna City police station when he was arrested under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in August 2019.

Ludhiana court blast accused Gagandeep Singh, who was dismissed from the police force in 2019, was a civil services aspirant.He was even preparing for his Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination at the time of his arrest.Gagandeep was posted as Munshi in Khanna City police station when he was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) in August 2019. Police had recovered 785 grams of heroin from his possession.BUILT PALATIAL HOUSEEarlier, he used to live in a rented house in Dalip Singh Nagar Khanna with his parents and siblings. His father Amarjeet Singh retired as a Punjab Roadways driver.However, Gagandeep had built a house in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar area after he was recruited as a constable in Punjab police.He was allegedly involved in narcotics smuggling and subsequently used the money earned from this trade to build a palatial house in the Professor Colony area of Punjab's Khanna.MOTIVE BEHIND BLASTThough the motive of causing a blast in a court complex is still not clear, sources say Gagandeep either wanted to destroy the court records or wanted to scare the judiciary.He was facing a court case that was being heard by a bench sitting in the came complex. The record room was also close to the washroom where the blast took place.The questioning of three jailed criminals will reveal who helped Gagandeep acquire the explosives and masterminded the blast.

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