Bathinda police have arrested four people and recovered more than 5.5 kg of opium in two separate cases. One of the accused, a 24-year-old man, says he is a student of Punjabi University, Patiala. Police have not yet verified this claim.
Bathinda SP (Investigation) Manoj Gorsi gave details of both cases. He said the CIA-1 team made the arrests and seized the drugs.
Bathinda Opium Case 1: 4.5 kg Seized From Bolero Pickup Near Jethuke Village
In the first case, the CIA-1 team arrested two people travelling in a Bolero pickup near Jethuke village. Police recovered 4.5 kg of opium from them.
The two accused have been identified as Gurdeep Singh, 33, a resident of Khokhar village, and Harpal Singh, also known as Sonu, 47, a resident of Rampura city.
The SP said Gurdeep Singh has a drug case in his past. He was earlier arrested by the Sangat police in a case involving the recovery of 10 kg of poppy husk.
Bathinda Opium Case 2: Two Youths Arrested in a Car
In a separate case, police arrested two youths who were travelling in a car within the jurisdiction. One of these accused is the 24-year-old man who claims to be a Punjabi University student.
Police have not confirmed whether he is actually enrolled at the university. The total recovery across both cases comes to over 5.5 kg of opium.
What This Means for Bathinda's Drug Problem
The two cases show that opium is still being moved through the district in small, separate consignments. One arrest involved a pickup truck near a village, the other a car. Different vehicles, different routes, same drug.
The repeat offender angle stands out. Gurdeep Singh was caught before with 10 kg of poppy husk and is now named in an opium case. To put it plainly, the same person coming back into the drug trade after an earlier arrest points to a gap somewhere — either in bail conditions, in follow-up checks, or in how cases are pursued after the first arrest.
Our Take: The Student Claim Needs a Straight Answer
The most talked-about detail here is the claim that one accused is a Punjabi University student. In our view, police should verify this quickly and say clearly what they find. If the claim is true, it raises serious questions about drug use and dealing on and around campuses. If it is false, the accused is using a university's name to build a softer image — and that also needs to be stated openly.
Either way, leaving the claim hanging does damage. It unfairly stains the university's reputation while the facts are still unclear, and it lets the accused hide behind an unproven identity. A simple verification would settle it.
For readers in Bathinda and Patiala, the takeaway is direct. Drug cases here are not limited to one type of person or one part of the district. They involve men in their thirties and forties moving bulk opium, and young men in cars. Until the student claim is checked, treat it as a claim, not a fact.
