Now,ATS questions Sajis second-in-command at NCB

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad questioned a superintendent-rank officer from the Chandigarh Narcotics Control Bureau....

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad ATS questioned a superintendent-rank officer from the Chandigarh Narcotics Control Bureau NCB on Wednesday in connection with the heroin seizure case,in which Saji Mohan,the former zonal director of NCB,Chandigarh,has been arrested.

Balwinder Singh,a former intelligence officer who is the second-in-command at Chandigarh NCB was brought to the ATS office in Mumbai from Chandigarh for questioning although senior ATS officials refused to say whether he had been arrested or not. Sources disclosed that Balwinder had been named by Saji Mohan during his interrogation on Tuesday.

We are questioning Balwinder and trying to verify Saji Mohans claims. We need to verify if he was indeed mixed up with Mohan and if he was an accomplice in sourcing drugs for Mohan, said K P Raghuvanshi,acting Joint Commissioner of Police ATS.

It is believed that Balwinder Singh had been a close confidant of Saji Mohan,ever since Mohan joined the NCB in February 2007. Balwinder Singh had been posted with the NCB for around four years. He was then promoted to the rank of superintendent,making him the second-in-command at the NCB after Mohan.

According to sources,Balwinder Singh was a front man for Saji Mohan in most of the NCBs operations. Balwinder was the man who used to put suspects mobile phones on electronic surveillance. In fact,the major heroin seizures that the NCB did under Saji Mohan were executed under the supervision of Balwinder alone, an NCB official said.

Incidentally,on Wednesday family members of accused drug smuggler Baljinder Singh alleged that Balwinder had even demanded a bribe of Rs 1 crore from them to get Baljinder acquitted in the case. Baljinder and his son Sukhjinder were arrested along with a foreign associate by NCB officials 8211; including Balwinder Singh 8211; on December 10,2007,for dealing in heroin.

Saji Mohan,a 1995-batch IPS officer was arrested on Saturday and over 38 kg of heroin was seized from him and two accomplices,Vicky Oberoi and Rajesh Kumar.