NCB Detains Sandeep Singh Chatha Under PITNDPS Act in Drug Trafficking Case
January 7, 2026
Ikramudin / Ludhiana
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh Zonal Unit, in coordination with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Punjab Police, has detained notorious drug trafficker Sandeep Singh alias Chatha under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988, in a major action aimed at curbing organized drug trafficking.
Sandeep Singh Chatha, a resident of Rasulpur Rohi village in Amritsar district, has a long criminal history with seven cases registered against him, including three under the NDPS Act, since 2013. According to NCB his involvement in drug trafficking became prominent during 2017–18, when he was arrested twice by Taran Taran and Amritsar police. Despite repeated arrests, he allegedly continued to operate and expand his drug network, including cross-border links.
The NCB cracked down on Chatha’s syndicate in 2022, arresting him in NCB Crime No. 79/2022. During the operation, officials dismantled two illegal drug laboratories and seized 40 kg of heroin, 0.557 kg of opium, 23.645 kg of caffeine, and other chemicals used in heroin processing. The agency also recovered 31 live cartridges and a magazine, and arrested 22 members of the drug syndicate.
Investigators found that Chatha played a key role in handling high-volume heroin consignments across multiple states. He was also involved in the transportation of 120 kg of raw heroin from Ludhiana to Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, officials said.
As part of the financial probe, the NCB froze movable and immovable assets worth ₹58.6 crore, including ₹34.77 lakh worth of properties allegedly acquired illegally by Chatha in connection with Crime No. 79/2022.
The investigation further revealed his links with Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, a notorious gangster accused of supplying weapons and narcotics from Jammu and Kashmir to Punjab, Delhi, and Haryana. Both were earlier arrested together in FIR No. 45/2017 related to the seizure of 500 grams of heroin by Taran Taran police and had remained lodged in the same prison.
To prevent him from continuing drug trafficking activities, the NCB Chandigarh Zonal Unit moved a proposal for Chatha’s preventive detention under the PITNDPS Act in September 2025. Acting on the proposal, the Central government issued a detention order on November 27, 2025, which was executed on January 7, 2026, following coordinated efforts by the NCB and ANTF Punjab.
Officials said three other members of the same syndicate—Akshay Chabra and Jaspal Singh alias Goldy, lodged in Dibrugarh jail, and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, lodged in Silchar jail, both in Assam—have already been detained under the PITNDPS Act. Sandeep Singh Chatha is the fourth syndicate member to be detained outside Punjab.
NCB Chandigarh Sandeep Singh Chatha Detained PITNDPS Act Drug Syndicate Punjab Heroin Seizure NCB ANTF Operation Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Link
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