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Bajrang Singh, a former NSG commando who was part of the 26/11 anti-terror operation in 2008, was arrested for his involvement in a cannabis smuggling racket.
Bajrang Singh, a former NSG commando and the mastermind of a cannabis smuggling racket, was arrested. (Rajasthan Police)
A former National Security Guard (NSG) commando, who was part of the 26/11 anti-terror operation in Mumbai in 2008, was arrested with 200 kg of ganja in his possession by the Rajasthan Police, who alleged that he was the kingpin of a cannabis smuggling racket.
Bajrang Singh was arrested on Wednesday night from Ratangarh in Rajasthan’s Churu district, for his alleged involvement in smuggling cannabis from Telangana and Odisha into Rajasthan, Inspector General of Police Vikas Kumar told news agency PTI.
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Bajrang was caught with 200 kg of ganja in his possession. He hailed from Rajasthan’s Sikar district and was on police radar due to his criminal activities, carrying a bounty of Rs 25,000, Kumar said. Rajasthan’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) were also involved in his arrest as part of ‘Operation Gaanjaney’.
Who Is Bajrang Singh?
Bajrang Singh left his studies after Class 10, but he was able to join the Border Security Force (BSF) due to his six-foot frame. He served briefly in the BSF before being discharged and later served as an NSG commando for seven years.
He was part of the network during the 2008 anti-terror operation in the aftermath of the 26/11 attack by Pakistani terrorists, in which 166 people were killed.
IGP Kumar said Bajrang’s political ambitions became clear in 2021 when he tried to push his wife into contesting local elections. He returned to his village and unsuccessfully fielded his wife in the village elections, but it gave him exposure to local circles and strengthened his influence.
How Was He Caught?
Police said Bajrang also established connections with criminal elements in Odisha and Rajasthan, and used his standing in his village to further narcotics and terror-linked activities. He gradually became a kingpin of the cannabis smuggling businesses and was arrested in 2023 near Hyderabad for smuggling two quintals of ganja.
The ATS and ANTF teams had been monitoring his movements for nearly two months. In his various attempts to evade arrest, Bajrang used fake mobile IDs and hid in remote villages, but he was traced to Churu with the help of technical intelligence and ground-level informers.
According to NDTV, the police teams traced Bajrang with the help of his cook. They spotted him riding a motorcycle on Wednesday, but did not arrest him immediately, as such a move against a former commando is risky. Instead, they quietly followed him to his secret hideouts and executed a surprise raid.
“This operation was a result of weeks of planning and intelligence sharing. The arrest of a hardened operative like Bajrang is a significant achievement in neutralising the terror-narcotics nexus in Rajasthan,” IGP Kumar said.
(with inputs from PTI)
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
Churu, India, India
October 03, 2025, 13:12 IST
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