SRINAGAR: Police have busted an inter-state narcotics smuggling network in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir with the arrest of four persons and the seizure of 2.672 kg of opium, Police said on Monday.
The action followed credible intelligence about the movement of narcotics, prompting a team from Lakhanpur police station to establish a checkpoint on the bypass road near Shamshaan Ghat, where a truck was intercepted.
A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of 1.026 kg of opium and the arrest of driver Gurvinder Singh and his associate Sukhdev Singh, both residents of Tarn Taran district in Punjab, officials said.
During questioning, Sukhdev told investigators that the consignment had originated in Gujarat and was handed over to him in Rajasthan by an unidentified handler for delivery to a receiver in Punjab.
Based on the disclosure, police raided a location in Nakki village of Pathankot, where they traced the alleged receiver, Rakesh Kumar. The illicit consignment was reportedly concealed at the residence of Rakesh’s neighbour, Ajay Kumar.
A subsequent search of the premises led to the recovery of the remaining opium, taking the total seizure in the operation to 2.672 kg, officials said. Rakesh Kumar and Ajay Kumar were also arrested.
A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at Lakhanpur police station, while further investigation is underway to establish the forward and backward linkages of the inter-state network.
The operation was conducted under the overall supervision of Kathua SSP Mohita Sharma. The police team was led by the SHO of Lakhanpur police station and supervised by senior officers, officials added.
