Pubdate: Wed, 05 Oct 2005
Source: Asian Pacific Post, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Asian Pacific Post.
Contact:  http://www.asianpacificpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2909

DRUG LOOT FUELS LAVISH LIFESTYLES IN PUNJAB VILLAGES     

The villages of Aitiana, Sudhar, Burjlittan and Noorpura in Punjab are
rife with tales of the return of their young men.

They return from Canada and the U.S. with great riches to buy
thousands of acres of land, flashy cars and build huge mansions.

Their homecoming is also sending ripples of unrest through the
villages of Punjab.

Now Indian police are pursuing reports that Non-Resident Indians who
have made fortunes from the drug trade in North America are returning
home to seek refuge and spend their ill-gotten gains.

One of them was publicly identified as 25-year-old Randhir Singh alias
Dhira from Brampton, Ontario.

Dhira and his parents from the village of Aitiana immigrated to Canada
four years ago.

According to the Indian Express newspaper, Dhira was arrested by U.S.
authorities after they found him with a truck load of drugs.

His cronies, the newspaper said, have now returned to their villages
and have become that talk of the town in Ludhiana.

"The lavish lifestyles of some these youths have become the talk of
the villages around the city," the newspaper said.

Dhira"s cousin, Manjeet Singh confirmed his arrest, but asserted that
Dhira had nothing to do with the drug cartel.

"Unfortunately, on that fateful day one of Dhira"s friends requested
him to drive a truck to the US, for he had to leave for India. The
truck broke down on the way and while Dhira was standing guard, he was
picked by the US police. Our family in Canada is trying their best to
get his name cleared," Manjeet was quoted as saying in local media.

Senior Superintendent of Police in the Jagraon district, Rajiv Ahir
said: "Usually we do get reports of such developments formally or
informally, but then I have not come across any such thing in my area
till now."

But villagers who live around the industrial city of Ludhiana have
another tale to tell.

"The local boys, who have dreams of making millions abroad, are easily
recruited as carriers," said one villager, who did not want his name
used fearing retribution.

He told Indian media that the word in his village is that a local
truck driver or farmer can make thousands of dollars crossing the
U.S.-Canada border on just one trip.

"In fact, a large number of women and young girls are also involved in
the criminal activities," said the villager.

This month, police in the Ropar district of Punjab busted a Canadian
citizen for running a brothel that was selling the services of Russian
and Indian girls for between C$50 and $130.

The suspect was identified as 26-year-old Mandeep Singh.

He was allegedly operating using locals in the cities of Mohali and
Chandigarh to spread the word about his brothel.

The area around Dosanjh Kalan in Punjab, which produced former B.C.
premier Ujjal Dosanjh is also home to some of British-Columbia"s top
Indo-Canadian gangsters.

They include Sukhvinder Singh Dosanjh aka Bicky the alleged leader of
an Indo-Canadian gang called the Independent Soldiers. Sukhvinder was
killed in a car crash in Vancouver recently.

His brother Paul Dosanjh was shot dead in March 2004 after surviving
another attempt on his life one year earlier.

Another pair from the area is Ron and Jimmy Dosanjh, considered the
frontrunners in the Indo-Canadian drug trade. They were assassinated
in separate hits in 1994 and 1995 allegedly organized by another
self-proclaimed thug Bindy Johal.

Johal was also murdered.

Some members of B.C."s Indo-Canadian community speak quietly of the
riches that have flowed back to the area in and around the Dosanjh
village.

"It is not only big houses and flashy cars, some of the money has gone
into building roads, improving temples etc," said an Indo-Canadian
businessman from the area.

The RCMP estimates that there are about 30 to 40 separate
Indo-Canadian gangs in British-Columbia"s Lower Mainland, each made up
of about three or four key members and maybe a dozen associates.

They are responsible for many of the 80 murders of Indo-Canadian
gangsters in a vicious cycle of killing and revenge that dates back a
decade.

Police investigators have compared Indo-Canadian gangsters in
British-Columbia to the inner-city street gangs in California and
groups in Britain"s South Asian community which go around with names
like "Santa Clara Punjabi Boys", "Shera Punjab" and "Holy Smokers."

The RCMP, which only a few years ago described Indo-Canadian gangs as
unsophisticated and disorganized, have now ranked them as the third
largest organized crime threat in B.C. after outlaw bikers and Asian
triads. 
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