NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU, CHANDIGARH ZONAL UNIT DETAINED UNDER PITNDPS ACT, 1988 Sandeep Singh Chatha, son of Jhirmal Singh, resident of Rasulpur Rohi, Amritsar, Punjab, an infamous history-sheeter, has been detained under the provisions of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act 1988, following sustained efforts by the Narcotics Control Bureau, Chandigarh Zonal Unit and ANTF, Punjab Police. Sandeep Singh Chatha has been involved in 07 criminal cases including 03 NDPS cases, since 2013. His involvement in drug trafficking first came to notice during 2017–18, when he was arrested on two occasions by the Taran Taran Police and Amritsar Police. Despite repeated arrests, he continued to expand his drug trafficking network, including cross-border operations, taking the illicit trade to a significant scale. In a major crackdown in 2022, NCB Chandigarh Zonal Unit arrested Sandeep Singh Chatha in NCB Crime No. 79/2022. During the operation, two illicit laboratories were dismantled and multiple narcotic drugs were seized, including 40 kg heroin, 0.557 kg opium, 23.645 kg caffeine, along with other chemicals used in heroin processing. Additionally, 31 live cartridges and one magazine were recovered, and 22 members of the drug syndicate were arrested. Further investigation revealed that Sandeep Singh Chatha was a key operative who handled several high-volume heroin consignments across multiple states. He was also found involved in the transportation of 120 kg of raw heroin from Ludhiana to Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh). During the financial investigation, NCB Chandigarh froze movable and immovable assets worth ₹58.6 crore in Crime No. 79/2022, including properties worth ₹34.77 lakh illegally acquired by Sandeep Singh Chatha. Investigation has further revealed the nexus of Sandeep Singh Chatha with Jagdeep Singh Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, a notorious criminal involved in the supply of weapons and narcotics from Jammu & Kashmir to Punjab, Delhi, and Haryana. Both Sandeep Singh Chatha and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria were earlier arrested together in FIR No. 45/2017 pertaining to the seizure of 500 grams of heroin by Taran Taran Police and remained incarcerated in the same prison. In order to ensure stringent preventive action against the drug lord, NCB Chandigarh Zonal Unit strongly pursued a proposal for his preventive detention under the PITNDPS Act in September 2025. Accordingly, the Central Government issued a Detention Order on 27.11.2025. Following exhaustive and coordinated efforts by the ANTF, Punjab and NCB Chandigarh Zonal Unit, he was successfully detained and served with the detention order on 07.01.2026. It is pertinent to mention that 3 other persons linked to Sandeep have been detained under PITNDPS Act in jails outside Punjab namely Akshay Chabra and Jaspal Goldy in Dibrugarh, Assam & Jaggu Bhagwanpuria in Silchar, Assam. Sandeep Chatha is the fourth member of this syndicate to be detained outside Punjab.