A police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in Punjab was suspended on Sunday, 1st November, after CCTV footage showed him planting heroin inside the house of a Hindu man Mahant Kashmir Giri to frame him in a drug-smuggling case. The accused officer, identified as Sukhdev Singh, was posted with the Khanna CIA unit.
The incident came to light after footage from a camera installed inside the residence of the victim went viral on social media.
The incident took place at Giri’s house near Khanna in Ludhiana district. According to media reports, Sukhdev Singh entered a room in the house in plain clothes before the official police team arrived. He was captured placing an object under a mattress on a bed and then leaving the room.
Police team claims to recover 30 grams of heroin, arrests Mahant
Later, a police team led by Sadar police station SHO Vijaypal Singh and City-2 police station SHO Tarwinder Kumar Bedi reached Giri’s residence to search. During the operation, the officers claimed to have recovered around 30 grams of heroin from beneath the same mattress where the ASI had placed the contraband. Giri was subsequently arrested in a drug trafficking case.
The case had initially started with the arrest of Gurjant Singh, alias Janta, who worked as Giri’s driver. Police had caught Gurjant with 7.5 grams of heroin. During questioning, Giri’s name came up, following which the police action against him began.
पंजाब के खन्ना में हेरोइन बरामदगी का एक मामला पुलिस विभाग के लिए ही सवाल खड़े कर रहा है। शिवसेना नेता महंत कश्मीर गिरी के घर लगे गुप्त कैमरे की रिकॉर्डिंग में कथित तौर पर एक ASI कमरे में जाकर गद्दे के नीचे कुछ रखता दिखाई दे रहा है। इसके बाद पुलिस ने उसी जगह से करीब 30 ग्राम हेरोइन बरामद करने का दावा किया था और महंत को गिरफ्तार किया था। CCTV फुटेज सामने आने के बाद SSP डॉ. दर्पण आहलूवालिया ने ASI सुखदेव सिंह को निलंबित कर दिया और जांच के लिए SIT गठित की। महंत कश्मीर गिरी को भी मामले से डिस्चार्ज कर दिया गया है। अब SIT की जांच में पूरे घटनाक्रम की सच्चाई सामने आएगी। #Punjab | #PunjabPolice | #CCTVFootage | #DrugCase | #AajTakSocial | #ATReel
— AajTak (@aajtak) November 1, 2026
However, the CCTV footage from Giri’s house exposed the planting of drugs. The footage was retrieved and examined by senior police officials on Saturday evening, 31st October. After reviewing it, SSP Darpan Ahluwalia ordered Giri’s immediate discharge from the case.
PUNJAB POLICE CAUGHT ON CCTV IN ALLEGED DRUG PLANTING CCTV from Shiv Sena leader Mahant Kashmir Giri’s house in Khanna shows an ASI in plain clothes slipping something under the mattress. Police then raid, claim 30g heroin from the same spot, and arrest him. After the video went public, SSP Darpan Ahluwalia suspended ASI Sukhdev Singh, set up an SIT, and discharged Giri. Plant the drug, then “recover” it? Suspension is not justice. When police plant evidence, the entire drug crackdown loses credibility.
— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) November 2, 2026
ASI suspended, SIT formed to investigate the matter
Following the incident, Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia suspended ASI Sukhdev Singh and ordered a departmental inquiry. A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by an officer of Superintendent of Police rank, has also been formed to investigate the matter and establish the role of all police personnel involved.
Speaking about the action, SSP Ahluwalia said, “A video that went viral on social media came to our attention. A Special Investigation Team has been constituted to probe all aspects of the case. The accused personnel has been removed from his current assignment and placed under suspension, while further investigation is underway.”
Notably, Mahant Kashmir Giri is associated with the Shiv Sena (Punjab) faction, where he serves as a local leader, and is also the national preacher of the Anti-Khalistan Front. The Shiv Sena (Punjab) faction was formed by members of the Hindu community in Punjab with the objective of countering Khalistani aggression.
