4 held with poppy husk, opium

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 29

The police today arrested four drug peddlers and seized 120 kg of poppy husk and 2 kg of opium from their possession in separate incidents.

The suspects have been identified as Amarjeet Singh (51) of Baba Bakala, Gurpreet Singh (35) of Bhalojla village in Tarn Taran district, Ashwani Kumar of Patoia village and Ashwani Kumar of Sahora village in Pathankot district.

Commissioner of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said a team of the CIA staff-1 laid a naka in Samrai village near the Jandiala road and it stopped a truck (bearing registration No. PB08 DE 5377) loaded with onions for checking.

He said during questioning, a search was carried out on suspicion.

Bhullar said the police found a special extension chamber attached with the truck’s diesel tank and when opened, they found 120 kg of poppy husk and one kg of opium from it.

The Commissioner of Police said the CIA team arrested truck driver Amarjeet Singh and his associate Gurpreet Singh and a case under Sections 15,18, 61 and 85 of NDPS Act had been registered against them at the Sadar police station.

Bhullar said in another case, a joint team of the CIA staff-1 and SOU conducted a special checking outside the Indian Oil Corporation and stopped a truck (bearing registration No. PB-06-AK-8135) loaded with coconuts and seized one kg of opium from a special cabin in the truck and arrested Ashwani Kumar of Patoia and Ashwani Kumar of Sahora. A case under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act has been registered against them at the Rama Mandi police station, he said.

In preliminary interrogation, Amarjeet said they had brought poppy husk and opium from Rajasthan and was in the drug business for the past two-and-a-half years, Bhullar said, adding that Ashwani had brought the opium from Madhya Pradesh. Bhullar said the suspects would be produced in the local court for further interrogation.