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Ludhiana: 1-kg opium seized, Jharkhand man held
Deputy superintendent of police (Dakha) Varinder Singh Khosa said the Sudhar police got a tip-off and arrested the accused from grain market, Sudhar Road, where they were waiting for customers
A Jharkhand resident, claiming to be a national-level para archer, has been arrested and 1.11-kg opium seized from his possession near Sudhar, police said. His aide managed to escape.
The accused, suffering from polio, has been identified as Patras Odia of Khunti district of Jharkhand. The police said he claimed to have won a gold medal in a national-level tournament. His aide who managed to escape has been identified as Rajan of Jharkhand.
Deputy superintendent of police (Dakha) Varinder Singh Khosa said the Sudhar police got a tip-off and arrested the accused from grain market, Sudhar Road, where they were waiting for customers. Rajan managed to escape but Patras was nabbed as he couldn’t flee due to his physical condition (polio). When frisked, the police recovered 1.11-kg opium, ₹700 and a mobile phone from his possession.
The DSP added that during questioning, the accused told police that they used to travel in trains and had delivered some consignments in Ludhiana in the past. “The arrested man claimed that he has been a national-level archer. The police have asked his family to produce any proof in support of his claims. The accused stated that he took up drug peddling due to unemployment,”said the DSP.
The accused was produced before a court on Thursday. The court remanded the accused to two-day police custody for questioning. A hunt is on for the arrest of the rest of the accused. An FIR under Sections 18, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused.
