Interstate drug smuggler Jalam Singh—absconding for six months with a ₹25,000 bounty on his head—arrested in Jalore
70th catch: A key kingpin in the supply chain across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra; trapped using an associate as bait
The State View | Sunil Sharma
Jaipur: Maintaining its impressive strike rate against narcotics dealers and international/interstate drug smugglers, the Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) has achieved another major success. Under the special ‘Operation Madmalz,’ the ANTF apprehended Jalam Singh—a cunning smuggler with a ₹25,000 reward on his head who had been absconding for six months—from a private bus at the Kagmala Toll Plaza in Jalore.
ANTF Inspector General of Police Vikas Kumar stated that this operation was conducted under the crucial guidance and direction of Director General of Police Rajiv Kumar Sharma and Additional Director General of Police Dinesh MN. With Jalam Singh’s arrest, the ANTF has set a record by putting its 70th absconding smuggler behind bars in recent times. The arrested accused was a key interstate kingpin involved in the smuggling of illicit narcotics across Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
*Journey from Manual Labor to Smuggling*
According to police investigations and IG Vikas Kumar, the arrested accused, Jalam Singh (son of Devi Singh, a resident of Kudal, Police Station Siwana, District Balotra), is illiterate. About 16 years ago, he had gone to Himmatnagar (Gujarat) to work as a laborer, where he was employed in stitching and lifting gunny sacks. During this time, he befriended another individual involved in the gunny sack trade. This individual lured Jalam Singh with the promise of quick, massive profits and pushed him into the illicit trade of narcotics smuggling. Subsequently, Jalam Singh became a cunning drug supplier. He used to purchase MD from a friend at a rate of ₹160 per gram. To increase the quantity, he would mix an adulterant powder into the MD, effectively doubling its volume. He would then package the substance into small packets and sell it to customers in Himmatnagar and surrounding areas at ₹200 per gram, thereby earning a twofold profit.
*Accomplice caught in Bhinmal six months ago; he had been evading arrest since then*
About six months ago, an ANTF team apprehended a young man smuggling illicit narcotics in Bhinmal, Jalore. The youth confessed that the seized consignment of MD was intended for Jalam Singh. Jalam Singh was present in Bhinmal at the time but fled directly to Gujarat upon learning that his accomplice had been caught. Following the registration of a case at the Bhinmal police station, he completely stopped visiting his village, Kudal, out of fear of the police. To avoid capture, Jalam Singh devised a cunning strategy to evade arrest. He completely stopped using a mobile phone to escape police technical surveillance and began hiding at the homes of acquaintances and relatives in Valsad, Surat, Mumbai, Thane, and Pune. Whenever he needed to communicate with his family or smuggling associates, he would ask passersby or strangers for their phones—claiming he did not have one—conduct only the necessary business, and immediately return the device.
*He used to visit the hotel in disguise; fled Rajasthan after a reward was announced*
After hiding outside the state for nearly three months, Jalam Singh secretly returned to Rajasthan. Under the pretext of providing employment and establishing a business for his elder brother, Lal Singh, he had a hotel opened in ‘Thapan’ village, located near their own village. Jalam Singh was so cunning that he would visit his own hotel in disguise; he would stay briefly to oversee operations and then leave. Instead of spending the night at his own home, he would stay at the residence of a distant acquaintance. However, when he learned that the Jalore Superintendent of Police had announced a reward of ₹25,000 on his head, he fled back to Gujarat and Maharashtra and severed contact with his family.
*How the ANTF set the trap*
To apprehend Jalam Singh, the ANTF team camped in Pune and Valsad for several days but failed to catch him because he kept constantly changing his hideouts. Subsequently, the ANTF devised a strategy to beat him at his own game. Team members returned to Rajasthan and contacted an old smuggling associate of Jalam Singh, posing as potential buyers. The team expressed a desire to purchase a large quantity of MD and stated their intention to establish a major drug network in Rajasthan that would yield earnings worth crores. They enticed the associate with the prospect of a share in this lucrative network. Swayed by the offer, the associate contacted Jalam Singh, who was in Maharashtra. Jalam Singh did not want to miss this golden opportunity to expand his business into Rajasthan; he agreed to the meeting and boarded a private bus from Maharashtra bound for Rajasthan.
*Jalam posed as ‘Jagdish’, but his cover was blown during ID card verification*
As soon as the ANTF received intelligence that Jalam Singh was traveling by bus, the team compiled a list of all private buses arriving in Balotra from Maharashtra. They discovered that he was traveling on a ‘Malinath Travels’ bus. The ANTF team set up a robust blockade at the Kagmala toll plaza—located between Bhinmal and Raniwara in Jalore—and intercepted a Malinath Travels bus. When the team obtained the passenger list from the conductor, Jalam Singh’s name was missing. Subsequently, the team boarded the bus and began searching every seat. Upon being asked his name, a suspicious individual identified himself as Jagdish and claimed to be arriving from Maharashtra. When the team astutely began checking the original ID cards of all passengers, the imposter posing as Jagdish became visibly panicked. He refused to show his ID and attempted to flee the bus, but the alert ANTF team immediately apprehended him. Under rigorous interrogation, he confessed that he had booked the bus ticket under the alias ‘Jagdish’ to evade the police.
*Valiant Team to be Honored; Appeal for Confidential Information from the Public*
Commending the ANTF team for executing this highly complex and successful operation, IG Vikas Kumar announced that all the brave officers and personnel involved in the action would be honored at a special ceremony at the ANTF headquarters in Jaipur.
*Appeal (You provide the information; I will provide freedom from drugs):*
Vikas Kumar has appealed to the public to immediately report any suspicious activity related to drug trafficking, illegal sales, or drug abuse to the ANTF control room at 0141-2502877 or via WhatsApp at 9261225056. The identity and confidentiality of the vigilant citizen providing the information will be strictly protected.
Author: thestateview
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