E-Paper
Woman among two caught with 500gm heroin in Salem Tabri
Used to procure contraband from Delhi-based suppliers
The special task force (STF) on Wednesday arrested two persons, including a woman, for drug peddling and recovered 500gm heroin from their possession.
The task force also found ₹42,000, an electronic weighing machine and 72 empty packets in their possession.
According to STF officials, the recovered heroin could cost about ₹2.5 crore in the international market.
The accused have been identified as Jyoti Bala, 22, and Ravi Kumar, 27, both residents of Talwandi Kalan in Salem Tabri.
The STF arrested the duo from their village following a tip-off. STF’s Ludhiana unit in-charge Harbans Singh said the accused were waiting for customers at Talwandi Kalan village when they were arrested.
The inspector said that Ravi came into drug business about two-and-a-half years ago.
“The woman joined him two years ago to make some easy money. The accused have confessed before the STF that they used to procure the heroin from Delhi-based smugglers. At times, they used to go together to Delhi to get the contraband and sometimes, their supplier would come to Ludhiana,” he added.
The STF in-charge said the accused had customers in and around Ludhiana. Ravi used to work as truck driver while Jyoti was a homemaker.
The STF are suspecting that Jyoti had a network of women drug buyers.
“We are expecting to obtain more important information from the accused during questioning,” the inspector said.
Meanwhile, a first information report (FIR) under Sections 21, 29, 61 and 85 of NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at the STF’s Mohali station.
The accused were produced in a court on Wednesday. The court remanded them to one-day STF custody for questioning.
STF officials have also been probing the previous criminal records of the accused.
