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52 kg heroin seized from truck near Jammu, co-driver arrested
The truck with Haryana registration number jumped the checkpost near Jammu but it was chased and intercepted at some distance. On checking, police found heroin in the vehicle.
Jammu Police on Thursday seized 52 kgs of heroin from a truck at Jhajjar Kotli on Jammu-Srinagar highway and arrested the co-driver, additional director general of police Mukesh Singh.
He identified the co-driver as Bharat Kumar of Kurukshetra.
A hunt has been launched for the truck driver, who fled from the spot.
“The SHO of Jhajjar Kotli police station Davinder Singh got an input about the attempt to smuggle a big consignment of heroin. He set up a checkpost and started checking vehicles coming from Srinagar to Jammu,” said the ADGP.
The truck with Haryana registration jumped the checkpost but it was chased and intercepted at some distance, said the officer.
“While the truck driver fled from the spot, he has been identified and will be arrested soon. Co-driver has been arrested. During the checking of the truck, police recovered 52 kgs of heroin which costs about ₹100 crore in the international market,” said Singh.
Initial investigation revealed that the contraband was being smuggled to Punjab from Kashmir.
It was picked up from Srinagar.
“The packets had a marking of 1999, which was also found on some contraband being smuggled from Pakistan,” he said.
He also informed that Jammu police in the past two years seized 185 kg of heroin having a market value approximately ₹360 crore.
“During this period 1,500 were arrested, of which six were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA). We also seized 500 kg charas, 2500 poppy straw and 180 kg heroin besides other psychotropic drugs in the past two years,” said the ADGP.
He also said that police recovered ₹2.50 crore of drug money during the period.
“The money—part of Pakistan’s narco-terrorism, had to be used in funding and fuelling terrorism in J&K,” he added.
