JALANDHAR
The Jalandhar rural police have dismantled an interstate drug smuggling racket, seizing 150 kg of poppy husk from a truck disguised as carrying army goods. The vehicle, bound for Kapurthala, was intercepted near the Bidhipur railway crossing in Maqsudan, leading to the arrest of two individuals.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mangal Singh alias Manga, a resident of Fattudinga, and Jagdev Singh alias Jaggu, a resident of Buta village, Subhanpur, both from Kapurthala.
Senior Superintendent of Police Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh told media that the operation was carried out by the CIA staff of Jalandhar rural under the supervision of DSP Surinder Pal, Sub-Division Kartarpur. Acting on a tip-off, the police team, led by Inspector Pushap Bali, in-charge of the CIA staff, intercepted the truck bearing registration number PB10-HJ-2832. Upon inspection, 150 kg of crushed poppy husk hidden among army goods was recovered from the vehicle.
A case sections 15-C/ 61/ 85 /of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at Maqsudan police station ..
Preliminary investigations have revealed that Mangal Singh and Jagdev Singh were working with a truck owner, Balwant Singh, to smuggle the drugs from Jharkhand to Kapurthala. The accused used the guise of army goods to avoid detection during inspections. Police have also contacted Army Intelligence for further investigation, given the use of army-related documents in the smuggling operation.