Nephew of Indira Gandhi's assassin held on drug peddling charge in New Zealand

New Delhi: A relative of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassin was held in New Zealand’s Auckland on charges of drug peddling. The revelation surfaced during the investigation trail into a recent drug bust in New Zealand. New Zealand Police had in March this year conducted a raid at a local property in Manukau, a suburb of South Auckland and seized a shipment of kombucha bottles among pallets of drug-laced beer cans. According to a report in the New Zealand Herald, the New Zealand Police said that Auckland City’s Organised Crime Unit had been investigating the shipment which resulted in a search warrant executed in Ryan Place, Manukau in early March. It said officers had identified 328kgs of methamphetamine concealed in beer cans. A police investigation led to the arrest of one Baltej Singh, who is the nephew of Satwant Singh. Satwant Singh and fellow bodyguard Beant Singh assassinated Indira Gandhi in October 1984 in the aftermath of Operation Bluestar. Satwant Singh’s brother and his family had relocated to New Zealand in the 1980s and set up a small grocery store in Auckland. Local gurdwaras often hailed Baltej for being the nephew of Satwant Singh. A sudden increase in the wealth of Singhs came to the notice of people close to them. Baltej Singh’s father, who is Satwant Singh’s brother, became the proprietor of a real estate firm named Ray White. They also bought a house valued at more than Rs 100 crore. Sources told ANI that Baltej Singh is known to be one of the primary masterminds and fundraisers for anti-India and pro-Khalistan demonstrations organised in New Zealand. Baltej Singh is currently imprisoned and is undergoing trial for drug peddling. According to sources, the incident underscores the “criminal background and dubious motivations” of pro-Khalistan demonstrators. It also highlights the role of “overseas support in attempts to tarnish the image of a progressive India.” With inputs from agencies. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.