Summary
- GUJRAT: A constable of the Counter Crime Department (CCD), Gujrat, has been arrested by the Mandi Bahauddin CCD in a drug case, with officials claiming that more than one kilogramme of charas was recovered from his possession.
- According to CCD sources, Rizwan had allegedly developed links with drug dealers and was suspected of facilitating the supply of narcotics to overseas Pakistanis in Mandi Bahauddin and adjoining districts.
- The operation was carried out through coordination between CCD officials in Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin.
GUJRAT: A constable of the Counter Crime Department (CCD), Gujrat, has been arrested by the Mandi Bahauddin CCD in a drug case, with officials claiming that more than one kilogramme of charas was recovered from his possession.
The arrest of Constable Rizwan alias Jani Gujjar, who has reportedly been serving in the Punjab Police for around a decade, has raised questions over internal accountability and the effectiveness of monitoring mechanisms within the CCD.
According to CCD sources, Rizwan had allegedly developed links with drug dealers and was suspected of facilitating the supply of narcotics to overseas Pakistanis in Mandi Bahauddin and adjoining districts. Investigators are now questioning him to establish the extent of his alleged involvement and identify other members of the network.
Sources said the constable was traced on a technical basis following information about his alleged links with narcotics dealers. The operation was carried out through coordination between CCD officials in Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin.
Rizwan had been posted with the CCD Gujrat for the last two years, making his arrest particularly significant for the department’s internal oversight. Investigators are examining whether he was merely connected with local drug dealers or had allegedly been operating as part of a wider narcotics supply network.
The case also presents a more difficult question for the department: if the allegations against the constable prove correct, how did an officer allegedly involved in drug dealing remain posted in a specialised crime-fighting unit for nearly two years without being detected?
The development has placed renewed focus on the need for stronger internal checks within law-enforcement agencies, particularly units tasked with combating organised crime and drug trafficking. The arrest also indicates that the department is prepared to act against its own personnel when credible evidence emerges.
CCD officials have maintained a zero-tolerance approach towards criminal activity, and the action against one of its own constables is being viewed by officials as part of that policy.
Under the supervision of CCD Gujrat head Sohail Zafar Chattha, the department has been conducting operations against criminal networks, with officials insisting that departmental affiliation would not provide protection to anyone found involved in crime.
However, the arrest has also exposed a potential gap between enforcement against criminal networks and the department’s ability to detect misconduct within its own ranks.
Rizwan’s case is still under investigation, and his alleged involvement in drug trafficking has yet to be established by a court. Investigators are expected to determine how the narcotics allegedly reached him, whom he was in contact with and whether any other police personnel or private individuals were involved.
Officials are also examining the alleged supply of drugs to customers in Mandi Bahauddin and neighbouring districts.
The investigation could therefore extend beyond the arrest of a single constable. Its findings may determine whether Rizwan acted independently or was allegedly part of an organised network operating under the cover of his position as a police official.
For the CCD, the case is likely to be as much a test of internal accountability as it is another narcotics investigation.
