Punjab authorities demolish house of woman convicted in drug trafficking

A house allegedly built on Waqf Board land by a woman convicted in multiple drug trafficking cases was demolished in Tanda town here on Monday, officials said. The demolition was carried out by the Punjab Waqf Board in Chandigarh Colony of Tanda based on the directions of the deputy commissioner, with police assistance. Hoshiarpur Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Parminder Singh Heer said the structure had been illegally constructed on Waqf Board land by Bholi and her son Vijay Kumar, from Ward Number 8, Chandigarh Colony. He said the Waqf Board had sought police help to remove the unauthorised construction. Bholi has 14 cases registered against her under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and has been convicted in nine of them. She is currently lodged in a jail in Ludhiana and is serving a 10-year sentence in one of the cases, the officer said. Her son Vijay Kumar also faces five cases related to drug trafficking, he added. Police and civil administration officials demolished the structure and took possession of the land, Heer said. He appealed to the public to inform the authorities about illegal encroachments on government land, warning that strict action would be taken against violators as per the directions of the Punjab government.