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| Ex-MLC's son, cop, PHE employee among 4 narco-smugglers held at Kapurthala with superfine heroin worth Rs 10 cr | | | BHARAT BHUSHAN
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Jan 17: In a drug trail that leads to Poonch and the neighbouring Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), Punjab police today laid hands on four narco-smugglers, including an ex-MLC's son, a traffic police cop and a PHE employee, all alleged to be international drug traffickers, at Kanjali in Kapurthala.
All the four belong to Jammu. A-grade exceptionally fine quality heroin worth Rs 10 cr in the international black market was recovered from them, according to sources in Punjab police. Sources identified the accused as Irshad Iqbal, alleged to be a former MLC's son, of Poonch, traffic police cop Zafar Iqbal, son of Hakim Din, of Bhatindi, PHE employee Kewal Singh, son of Pramodh Singh, and Zorawar Singh, son of Balram Singh, both residents of Gurah Salathia.
SSP, Kapurthala, Sukhminder Singh Mann told this scribe over phone late tonight that during his initial questioning, Irshad claimed to be the son of a former MLC.
Sources said Inspector Mangat Ram Sharma and some cops of CIA wing of Punjab police had laid a naka at Kanjali following a tip-off that a car, which had been stolen from Phagwara Sunday night, was to pass from there.
When the cops, manning the naka, signalled Rhino jeep (JK02AL/2229) to stop, the driver started reversing it. The cops, however, foiled his attempt to flee and swiftly zeroed in on the vehicle. The search of the vehicle led cops to the recovery of 1 kg heroin of superfine quality worth Rs 10 cr in the international black market, the sources added.
Mann said after the contraband was recovered, the four jeep occupants were taken into custody and whisked away to the concerned police station.
During interrogation, they confessed that they had smuggled the heroin from Poonch to sell it at Kapurthala. A cross-border link also emerged as the accused had purchased the contraband from PoK for Rs 4 lakh and were to sell it to someone in Kapurthala for Rs 10 lakh, the sources added.
Sources said the traffic police cop told his interrogators that he was at present posted in Jammu. His services were allegedly utilised by the other three to take the Rhino unchecked across Lakhanpur, the sources added.
Punjab police hoped to make more arrests from Kapurthala and Jammu on their disclosure. Their sustained interrogation was on, the SSP added. The heroin, which had Afghanistan marking on it, was packed by the accused in packets of 200 gm, 300 gm, 270 gm and 230 gm.
Sources said they were likely to be brought to Jammu by the Punjab police as part investigation in the case. Sources said the international drug smuggling ring spans Afghanistan, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir.
The state seems to be emerging as a safe transit point for drug peddlers. During the last one year, heroin, charas and several quintals of poppy straw were seized by police from different parts of the state on many occasions. Sources said with links of the well-oiled drug peddling racket in the state being established with people in the neighbouring PoK, Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the heroin originates, security agencies were keeping a track on the activities of drug smugglers in the state. Most of the heroin, cocaine and other drugs were meant for lucrative markets in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and other places, the sources added. |
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