CHANDIGARH: Former Deputy Superintendent of Punjab Police and Arjuna Award-winning wrestler Jagdish Bhola, an alleged kingpin of a synthetic narcotics racket worth Rs 700 crore, walked out of Bathinda Central Jail on June 1 after nearly 12 years of incarceration.
He was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 21.
Hailing from Raike Kalan village in Bathinda, Bhola had been convicted in one of the largest drug trafficking cases in the history of the State, which involved a Rs 700 crore synthetic narcotics racket.
He has been convicted in two cases, while a few more criminal cases were pending against him. In 2019, a special CBI court sentenced Bhola to 24 years in prison.
Last year, he received an additional 10-year sentence following a conviction for money laundering.
Confirming that Bhola has been released, Bathinda Central Jail Superintendent Manjit Singh Sidhu said that it took place in the evening of Sunday after all formalities were completed.
The bail order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court came with strict conditions. Bhola was required to furnish a Rs 5 lakh bond and surrender his passport and complete a community service project (planting 100 trees within 15 days of his release).
He was dismissed from the police force in 2012 after the recovery of poppy husk.
Bhola was arrested by Punjab Police in November 2013 in connection with the Rs 700-crore multi-state drug trafficking network.
Investigations led by Punjab Police and central agencies uncovered the illegal trade of synthetic drugs, including pseudoephedrine. The ED arrested him in 2014 and filed six charge sheets till 2017.
His case became emblematic of the alleged nexus between crime and politics in Punjab.
The Punjab Police had seized heroin, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, intoxicating powder, and Rs 1.91 crore, besides foreign currency and arms from him.
Despite being out on bail, Bhola’s legal troubles are far from over.
His appeals in both the drug trafficking and money laundering cases are currently pending. Many FIRs have been registered against him in Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and SAS Nagar districts of the State.
Earlier he was allowed to visit his native village, Raike Kalan in Bathinda district, for five hours to perform the last rites of his father, Balshinder Singh, on July 26 last year.
Earlier, he had come out to perform the last rites for his mother for a brief period in June 2023.
Once celebrated as the 'King Kong' of Indian wrestling, he won a silver medal at the 1991 Asian Wrestling Championship. His dominance on the mat earned him the prestigious Arjuna Award, and he was appointed as a DSP by the Punjab Government in recognition of his sporting excellence.