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Uttarakhand police arrest man for transporting 218 kg ‘Ganja’ in ambulance
Police said the ambulance was trying to pass the checkpost in a rush with its siren on, and the driver, when stopped, claimed that they were carrying the patient to Ramnagar in an emergency
The Uttarakhand Police arrested a man for allegedly transporting 218 kg ‘ganja’ (highly potent form of cannabis) in an ambulance in Almora, an officer said.
The ambulance driver was identified as Roshan Lal (38), a resident of Pauri Garhwal district.
Madan Mohan Joshi, in-charge at Bhatroujkhan, said, “On November 6, we saw the ambulance approaching the Mohaan check post with its siren on. The driver was trying to pass the checkpost in a rush. We stopped the ambulance and inquired its driver about the patient being carried in the ambulance. The driver said they were carrying the patient to Ramnagar in an emergency. However, we found no patient inside the ambulance when we peeked through the window. As we were about to start the thorough checking, the person sitting alongside the driver ran towards Marchula.”
Police subsequently searched the vehicle and recovered the narcotic substance.
“We found several sacks inside the ambulance and asked the driver about them. He said the sacks had vegetables. However, when we opened them, we found 218 kg of ganja inside. Its approximate market value is around ₹ 33 lakh,” Joshi said.
“We arrested the driver and booked him under relevant sections of the NDPS Act,” he said, adding that efforts were on to arrest his accomplice Dharmendra.
On questioning, the accused revealed to police that he was transporting the narcotic substance from Saraikhet to Kashipur.
In March this year, the Dehradun Police arrested four people who were allegedly transporting 20 cartons of illicit country made liquor in an ambulance. A team of Ranipokhari police station had nabbed the accused during a checking drive on the intervening night of March 30 and 31.
