punjab

Updated: Jul 22, 2019 07:01 IST

A 29-year-old Amritsar-based trader, named as one of the main accused in the case involving the ‘biggest-ever’ heroin haul seizure at the Attari integrated check post (ICP) on June 29, died in judicial custody on Sunday.

Gurpinder Singh, who owned Kanishk Enterprises, was among five people booked by the customs (preventive) department after the recovery of 532kg heroin and 52kg mixed narcotics concealed in a consignment of 600 bags of rock salt. He placed the order of salt from Pakistan at the behest of a Jammu and Kashmir resident, Tariq Ahmed Lone, the customs had said. He is survived by his mother, wife, a four-year-old son and younger brother Parminder Singh. Parminder is also in jail after he was arrested by police for transferring ₹10 lakh for the salt consignment.

Officials of the Amritsar central jail, where Gurpinder was first brought on July 1, said he was a patient of diabetes and his sugar level was varying from 300 to 400.

“Soon after he came to jail, he was admitted to hospital for three to four days as his sugar level was high. After being treated, he was sent to police remand. He was again brought to jail three days back. His condition was stable till Saturday night. The jail staff noticed blood in his month when he was brushing his teeth on Sunday morning. Then he was rushed to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital where he died during treatment,” said jail superintendent, Arashdeep Singh Gill.

But Guru Nanak Dev Hospital medical superintendent Shiv Charan said Gurpinder was brought dead to the emergency ward by the jail staff around 8:30am. “As he was already dead, they took the body for post-mortem,” he said.

Autopsy on the body will be conducted at Government Medical College, Amritsar, on Monday. “A board of three doctors under the supervision of a judicial magistrate will conduct post-mortem on the body,” said the jail superintendent.