After vigilance bureau issued lookout notice, former SSP Raj Jit says he is not absconding

The controversial former SSP facing a probe in an alleged drug case surfaced in Amritsar on Sunday and released a video saying that he was not absconding and would surrender his passport.

CHANDIGARH: The controversial former Senior Superintendent of Police facing a probe in an alleged drug case surfaced in Amritsar on Sunday and released a video saying that he was not absconding and would surrender his passport on Monday.

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had on Saturday issued a lookout notice fearing he might flee the country.

Raj Jit said in the video that he would surrender his passport to Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Jatinder Singh Aulakh at the Punjab Police headquarters in Chandigarh on Monday. He said he was in Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and Gurdwara Shaheedan as part of his monthly routine.

He claimed that he was innocent and the case against him was one-sided. He maintained that he would not like to go into its details as the case was sub-judice, with the next hearing in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 25.

“I am bound by an ongoing court case, due to which I cannot speak at length, but I have not run away and have no such plans,” he said.

Raj Jit, a Punjab Police Service officer, is posted as commandant of the 4th Commando battalion at Mohali after being transferred from Moga.

As the per the police, Raj Jit is required for questioning in connection with a case registered at Police Station Flying Squad, Vigilance Bureau. It pertains to allegations against the dismissed Inspector Inderjit Singh, then posted in Tarn Taran, and Raj Jit, who was then SSP there.

Sources said that as per the case registered, some alleged drug smugglers had managed to get a clean chit in the chemical examination of certain drugs seized from them, as a result of complicity of the lab staff. It was further alleged that Inspector Inderjit, on receiving a tip-off, had called the said lab staff for questioning, and instead of arresting the main accused, Jagdeep Singh had, in consultation with Raj Jit Singh, made him an approver in the case. There are allegations that money changed hands in the process.

It is learnt that Raj Jit had been in the centre of a controversy between the three DGPs. DGP (Punjab State Power Corporation Limited) Sidharth Chatopadhyay, had accused Punjab DGP Suresh Arora and DGP (Intelligence) Dinkar Gupta of protecting him. Additional DGP-cum-Chief of Special Task Force (STF) on drugs Harpreet Singh Sidhu had accused him of being involved in drug smuggling.

An official said that said they had received strict instructions from the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to ensure action not only in pending matters but also new allegations that have surfaced in recent days against certain police personnel.

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