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| 3 Sri Lankans among 4 held in Kishtwar as police bust international gang of sapphire smugglers | | Involvement of J&K minerals's officials suspected | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 15: Police today busted an international gang of sapphire smugglers by arresting three Sri Lankans and their local accomplice at Hanjala in Kishtwar. The involvement of senior officials of J&K Minerals was not ruled out.
High quality blue sapphire worth lakhs of rupees, which they had illegally brought from Sonchan mines at Paddar, few kilometres ahead of Kishtwar town, and were trying to smuggle it out of the area in a car, was also seized.
Acting on a secret source information, a police party intercepted a car at Hanjala and recovered the sapphire from it. Four persons, who were travelling in the car, were also arrested, DSP (hqrs), Kishtwar, Abrar Choudhary said.
He identified the accused as Mohammed Ikram, son of Abu Hassan, Mohammed Shah Bin Qasim Bin Hattar, son of Zaabur Bin Sultan Izakore, Akbar Qasim, son of Azhar Al Zehrat, all residents of Berola in Kalutara district of Srilanka, and Ramesh Kumar, son of Dewan Chand Thakur of Sounder Dachan, Kishtwar.
The DSP said police had for the first time busted a gang of international gem smugglers in Chenab region which operated from Sri Lanka, Singapore, Hongkong and some other countries.
A special team was constituted to lay hands on the gang members under the supervision of Kishtwar SSP Bhim Sen Tutti, he informed.
Abrar said the smugglers had changed their clothes from Paddar to Hanjala several times with the intention of changing their identity to escape police dragnet.
Apprehending that they could be in possession of firearms, the police team was heavily armed. Cops, however, acted swiftly and overpowered all of them without giving them any chance to either flee or retaliate, the DSP added.
Police had booked them under section 4/5 of J&K Sapphire (Prevention of Smuggling) Act.
Abrar said Ramesh had been operating in Dehli, Tamil Nadu and J&K to contact sapphire smugglers. His accomplice, who was at some distance from Hanjala, managed to flee. Police had launched a manhunt to nab him too, he added.
Ramesh also managed SIM cards, dresses and vehicles for the smugglers. Police seized from him and other accused several cellphones with local, STD and international call facilities.
The DSP said the involvement of some top officials of J&K minerals was not ruled out. |
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