Civil engineer held with 1.5kg heroin

The Khanna police on Monday arrested a civil engineer for smuggling drugs after 1.5kg heroin was recovered from his possession.

The accused has been identified as Varinder Singh, 26, a resident of Kapurthala’s Mothawali village. He had been practising architecture.

Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gursharandeep Singh said Varinder was nabbed from a checkpoint set up near Libra village.

“A man coming from the Khanna side turned around on spotting police and tried to escape. Cops, however, managed to catch hold of him. Upon frisking, 1.5kg heroin was recovered from his possession,” he added.

The SSP said a first information report (FIR) has been registered in the case under Sections 21, 61, 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The accused told the police that after completing his engineering, he went to Jordan.

“After working there for a few years, I came back to India and started practising architecture,” he added.

Sadar station house officer (SHO) Baljinder Singh said the accused has confessed that he procured heroin from a Nigerian national in New Delhi.

“He has been active in the drug trade for last six months,” he added.

The accused has no previous criminal record, but his uncle was convicted in a case of smuggling.

The SHO said they were expecting to obtain more important information from the accused during questioning.