Punjab Police have arrested Punjabi singer Harbir Singh Sohal and seized 5.1 kilograms of heroin, ₹150,000 in alleged drug money and a Mahindra Thar SUV in connection with a major narcotics trafficking investigation, officials said Monday.

Police said additional recoveries linked to the case included 30 live cartridges, 10 grams of ICE narcotics and 569 grams of heroin seized earlier from Sohal’s alleged associates during a special operation.

Police  alleged Sohal was a close associate of slain gangster Jaipal Bhullar. In 2022, Mohali police had arrested him on allegations of possessing illegal weapons and operating an extortion racket at the direction of foreign-based handlers.

Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police Darpan Ahluwalia said the breakthrough came during the investigation of a drug trafficking case registered by Doraha police on March 7.

During a checking operation, police intercepted a grey Toyota Etios bearing Haryana registration number that was travelling from the Ludhiana side. Officers arrested Akshay Kumar, a resident of Shimlapuri in Ludhiana, and allegedly recovered 301 grams of heroin from his possession.

Further interrogation led to the recovery of an additional 268 grams of heroin, 10 grams of ICE narcotics, ₹10,750 in alleged drug money and 30 live .30 bore cartridges, police said. Police registered a case under the relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act.  

According to SSP Ahluwalia, Akshay Kumar told the police that the narcotics had been procured from Vishal and Sanjeev Kumar, also known as Sunny, both residents of Shimlapuri in Ludhiana.