Fugitive Former AIG Arrested; Suicide Survivor Alleges Police Harassment, Later Denies

September

2026

Dismissed Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Raj Jit Singh Hundal, who had been absconding since 2023, has surrendered to the Patiala police, ending nearly three years of being on the run. Raj Jit was dismissed from service in April 2023 after investigations ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court found him complicit with dismissed Inspector Inderjit Singh, who was accused of involvement in drug-smuggling and extortion networks. Raj Jit was subsequently booked in two cases in 2023—one by the Vigilance Bureau over allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and another by the Special Task Force in connection with allegations of extortion—falsely implicating people in drug cases and protecting alleged drug smugglers. Former Enforcement Directorate Deputy Director Niranjan Singh has questioned Raj Jit's surrender, alleging that it was carefully negotiated and timed ahead of the Panjab Assembly elections due in 2027. Niranjan was among the officers to initiate an investigation into Raj Jit. He said, 'The surrender shows Raj Jit was present all along. Then why was he not arrested earlier? Who was protecting him and who gave him shelter? Once these names are made public, the entire unholy nexus involving drug trafficking and sections of the police will be exposed before the people.' Niranjan had recently joined Akali Dal Waris Punjab De but quit after four days over differences. Meanwhile, Chandigarh Police Head Constable Nitin was shot dead at his home on 25 Sep. Nitin was posted in the Accounts Branch at Chandigarh Police Headquarters. Police found him lying on his bed with a bullet wound to his head. A country-made pistol, suspected to have been used in the shooting, was recovered from the spot. Concurrently, four days after escaping from custody, 19-year-old Karanbir Singh, alias Nandi, an accused in the shooting of Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaswant Singh, was killed in an encounter with the police at Kandowal village, Amritsar district, on 26 Sep. Furthermore, A young man, Jobanpreet Singh attempted suicide by consuming a poisonous substance at Dhanaula police station, Barnala district after making allegations against police personnel that went viral on social media. Earlier, his car had caught fire due to a short circuit and he had been visiting the police station for around 17 days to obtain a report but was being asked to pay USD 100 for preparing the report. However, in the hospital, while recovering, he denied that police had harassed him (earlier coverage).