ANTF Moves to Forensically Probe Seized iPad and Search Bank Lockers

• by Akanksha Mishra
• 2026-10-08 19:57:00

In a significant escalation in the high-profile drug trafficking nexus probe, the Punjab Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) produced dismissed Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Rajjit Singh Hundal before a special court in Mohali on Thursday, October 8, 2026, following the conclusion of his police remand. Moving beyond custodial questioning, the state's premier anti-drug agency informed the bench that it has seized Hundal's iPad, which is being sent for advanced forensic extraction to uncover digital communication logs, encrypted chat histories, and financial trails linking him to international drug peddlers. Taking the investigative findings on record, the special court remanded the sacked police officer to judicial custody, scheduling the next hearing for October 22, 2026, while considering formal pleas to search his personal bank lockers.

Digital Forensics on Seized iPad: Tracing Encrypted Networks and Hawala Trails

The investigation has shifted decisively toward electronic intelligence and digital footprints recovered from Hundal's possession:

Forensic Extraction Underway: Cyber forensic experts are conducting a comprehensive analysis of the seized iPad to recover wiped communication threads, hidden cloud files, and direct interactions with narcotics syndicates.

Unearthing the Contact Matrix: Investigators are scrutinizing call records, messaging applications, and address books on the tablet to identify serving and retired police personnel, frontmen, and smugglers who maintained direct operational links with the dismissed officer.

Tracking Financial Discrepancies: The ANTF aims to map digital ledgers, offshore banking details, and transaction timestamps against Hundal's declared income profiles to track suspected drug proceeds.

ANTF Moves to Seal and Search Bank Lockers for Benami Asset Deeds

Alongside digital forensics, financial investigators are closing in on undisclosed physical holdings and institutional lockers belonging to Hundal:

Locker Search Petitions Filed: The ANTF submitted a formal application before the Mohali special court seeking authorization to freeze, seal, and physically open bank lockers registered under Hundal's name and those of his close associates.

Suspected Stash of Title Deeds: Investigating officers believe the lockers conceal critical documents, property registrations, title deeds of benami real estate, and hard ledgers establishing illegal transactions across Punjab and neighbouring states.

Disproportionate Assets Angle: Custodial interrogation has yielded specific leads on undisclosed properties, triggering parallel inquiries into money laundering and surrogate asset holdings amassed during his tenure in law enforcement.

From 2017 FIR No. 1 to Dismissal: The Legal Web Surrounding Rajjit Hundal

The legal actions against the former AIG stem from an extensive inquiry into police collusion with organized narcotics syndicates:

Roots in the 2017 Inderjit Singh Case: The scandal first erupted with 2017 FIR No. 1 registered against disgraced former Inspector Inderjit Singh, which exposed systemic complicity between corrupt police officials and trans-border narcotics smugglers.

High Court SIT Findings and Dismissal: Following orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) probed Hundal's patronage of Inderjit Singh, leading to his formal dismissal from state police service by the Punjab government in 2023.

Fresh Arrest in Mohali: Hundal was arrested within the Mohali court complex under a fresh FIR registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, ensuring continued custodial proceedings as the court prepares for the crucial October 22 hearing.

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