Jalandhar: Punjab Police has busted another inter-state drug racket with the arrest of two persons caught smuggling poppy husk from Rajasthan into the state.
A total of 180 bags of the poppy husk, worth crores of rupees, have been seized from a truck, in which the poppy husk was found concealed under raw bananas. Three of the accomplices of the accused are reportedly absconding and a manhunt has been launched for them.
AIG Counter Intelligence HPS Khakh told mediapersons told that the kingpins of this smuggling module were residents of Moga district’s “Daulewal” village – notorious for drug smuggling and under close watch of the Counter Intelligence Wing Jalandhar for quite some time.
The accused have been identified as Jagdev Singh alias Deban s/o Surat Singh and Shinder Singh son of Niranjan Singh. Along with their accomplice, Buta Singh s/o Mandar Singh, r/o village Charik Distt Moga, had been engaged in in smuggling poppy husk for a long time.
The Counter Intelligence Wing had discovered that Deban, the leader of the module, planned to take a large consignment of poppy from Rajasthan state, and had hired one Dharmjit Singh to procure the consignment from Rahul, a poppy husk contractor living in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh.
This morning, they received information that the smugglers were coming from Rajasthan to Punjab in a truck (number PB 07 U 19450, which was fully covered with tarpaulin, and was being escorted by a Scorpio (number PB 29 N 9314). This information was immediately shared with district chief of Moga Police Gurpreet Singh Toor, and police parties were alerted in the area to seize the consignment. SI Dilbag Singh S.H.O PS Mehna, along with his police party successfully intercepted this truck on Baghapurana -Jagraon road and detained the truck with the smugglers and the consignment.
Dharamjit Singh s/o Surjit Singh r/o village Landeke district Moga, along with Gurbir Singh s/o Gurjant Singh r/o village Rattian in district Moga, were nabbed with 180 bags of poppy husk while Jagdev Singh alias Deban, Shinder Singh and Buta Singh fled from the spot in the cover of darkness in a white Scorpio car number PB 29 N 9314.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the smugglers transmitted money to their Rajasthan counter parts through “Hawala” operators, which is a new modus operandi in this trade. Investigations have been launched into this aspect too, said Khakh.
The total consignment (72quintals and 200 gms) is worth crores of rupees with poppy husk currently being sold at Rs 3000/Kg, following the scarcity of drugs in Punjab as a result of the police crackdown on drugs.
A case (FIR no. 79) under section 15/25/29-61-85 NDPS Act has been registered at PS Mehna Distt Moga and the two arrested men will be produced before the court tomorrow. Information about the other suspects is being shared with Rajasthan police to take their help in nabbing them.