Major haul: Alternative opioid substance seized by Punjab STF, health dept officials

Inspector Harbans Singh, in-charge, STF, Ludhiana Range said they received a tip-off that the accused was visiting near Krishna Market in Model Town to handover the contraband.

In a joint operation, the team of special task force (STF) Ludhiana Range arrested a manager and ward boy of Simran Hospital and Drug De-addiction centre located near the bus stand here, for illegally supplying intoxicating tablets. The team has recovered a total of 27000 intoxicating tablets and ₹90,000 drug money from the possession of the accused. According to STF officials, the strips recovered from the accused reads, ‘For Supply to de-addiction centres only’. However, the accused were selling the alternative opioid substance at premium price outside the de-addiction centre.

A case under section 22 and 29 of NDPS Act was registered against the accused at STF police station in Mohali. (REUTERS file photo)

The accused have been identified as Vedant Kumar (24) a resident of Mohalla New Jagatpura in Hoshiarpur and Kamaljeet Singh (30), a resident of Mohalla Baba Inder Singh Nagar in Phullanwal.

Inspector Harbans Singh, in-charge, STF Ludhiana Range said that they received a tip-off that the accused was visiting near Krishna Market in Model Town to handover the contraband. The STF team laid a trap and nabbed the accused who were travelling on white scooter. The team recovered 4000 intoxicating tablets from the scooter and ₹90,000 which is suspected to be drug money. Later, on the basis of information provided by both the accused, the team conducted a raid at a house in New Kartar Nagar of Model Town and recovered 23000 intoxicating tablets from a room.

“During questioning, the accused confessed to having been involved in the illegal supply of band habit-forming drugs in connivance with Honey Goyal of Barnala. The name of Honey Goyal has been nominated in the FIR and a manhunt has been launched to arrest him,” he said. A case under section 22 and 29 of NDPS Act was registered against the accused at STF police station in Mohali.STF along with drug inspector seized 32000 more tablets from de-addiction centre

Sharing details Kulwinder Singh, zonal licencing authority (drugs) said that after recovery of 27000 tablets, the team comprising of DSP STF Ludhiana Ajay Kumar, drug inspector Ludhiana-3 Rooppreet Kaur and psychiatrist from Civil Hospital Dr Vivek carried out inspection at Simran Hospital and De-addiction Centre near Bus Stand and found that the firm had purchased 36000 tablets of ADNOC-N but the stock in hand available with the firm was 32000 tablets. The firm failed to produce the dispensing record of 4000 tablets. Therefore, to prevent the misuse of tablets, the team seized 32000 tablets from the centre. DSP STF Ludhiana, Ajay Kumar said that the probe was on and the involvement of the owner of the de- addiction centre could not be ruled out. “It is a matter of investigation whether the owner of the de- addiction centre was involved in the racket or not,” said DSP Ajay Kumar.