SRINAGAR: Police on Thursday busted an interstate narcotics peddling racket by arresting two Punjab-based peddlers and recovering approximately twenty-two kilograms of a substance similar to heroin, which holds high monetary value in the market.
In a statement, the police said, “The arrests were made in the Sunderbani area of Rajouri district, and an investigation into the forward and backward linkages of the case has been initiated.”
Quoting Senior Superintendent of Police Rajouri, Amritpal Singh (IPS), the statement mentioned that the police received specific intelligence input regarding two suspects in transit from Rajouri to Jammu in a vehicle during the late evening hours on Wednesday. Acting swiftly, the police put teams on alert throughout the district. Existing checkpoints were strengthened, and additional mobile checkpoints were established.
“At around 09:30 PM, a vehicle with registration number JK01AB 5470 was intercepted at the Jammu Rajouri Poonch highway, near ITI Sunderbani,” stated the police.
Two individuals from Punjab were traveling in the vehicle. Upon frisking, a substantial quantity of a substance resembling heroin, amounting to approximately 22 kilograms, was discovered.
“This significant consignment was seized from the possession of Onkar Singh, son of Karam Singh, a resident of village Talmandi Barth, District Gurdaspur, Punjab, and Shamsher Singh, son of Nirmal Singh, a resident of Village Barthmal Tehsil Gurdaspur, Punjab,” the police reported.
While the duo was arrested, the police registered a case (FIR 42/2023) under sections 8/21/22/25/27A/29/60 of the NDPS Act at the Sunderbani Police Station.
“The investigation into the matter is ongoing, and all the connections to this case, both forward and backward, are being traced. More arrests are expected during the course of the investigation.”
The SSP Rajouri referred to this as a significant success for the police in their efforts against narcotics, emphasizing that the potential connection to narco-militancy is also being probed. (GNS)
