Two arrested with 262-kg poppy husk

Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, December 14

With the recovery of eight bags of poppy husk, weighing 262 kg and arrest of two persons, the Faridkot police on Friday claimed to have identified a chain of drug supply, meant to lure voters in rural bodies’ elections scheduled for December 30.

The police have arrested Gurmail Singh alias Geli of Bhadaur in Barnala and Sukhpal Singh alias Chhabar of Goniana in Bathinda.

While Gurmail Singh was allegedly smuggling two bags of poppy husk in a truck, Chhabar was taking the consignment in a tractor.

Faridkot SSP Rajbachan Singh Sandhu believed that the consignment was meant to lure voters in the panchayat elections.

Besides investigating the point of this consignment from where it was dispatched, the police are also probing to whom this consignment was to be delivered. The arrested accused are being questioned, he said.

A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act has been registered against the accused.

Besides the increased supply of drugs, the police believe that distillation of illicit liquor was already witnessing a tremendous increase in the rural areas during the panchayat elections.

While the illicit liquor is being distilled and distributed openly in the rural areas, the police are not taking any action against the accused due to political interference, said a liquor contractor in Faridkot.

During the election time, while suffering from acute withdrawal symptoms, drug addicts in the rural areas are desperate to demand drugs from candidates in the fray in lieu of votes, the families of these addicts have a dossier of complaints to lodge with these leaders, resenting the free-flowing variety of other drugs, spoiling the young and old in the villages.

Case registered

• The police have arrested Gurmail Singh alias Geli of Bhadaur in Barnala and Sukhpal Singh alias Chhabar of Goniana in Bathinda. 
• Besides investigating the point of this consignment from where it was dispatched, the police are also probing to whom this consignment was to be delivered.
• A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act has been registered against the accused.