Smuggler ran opium business in Haryana, Punjab

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, May 6

Sukhbir Singh, alias Sukha, a drugs kingpin who was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) from his residence in Sector 20 of Sirsa town with a huge cache of opium on Tuesday, ran a big network of supplying narcotics in the area.

Preliminary interrogations by the NCB and the local police have revealed that Sukha, who had share in several liquor vends in the district as a front business, used to bring huge consignments of opium from Chittorgarh in Rajasthan and sold it through his henchmen in neighbouring villages of Haryana and Punjab.

The NCB had been following his activities for the past some days and yesterday its team raided his place with the help of the district police and the special IG staff.

The police today produced Sukha and his brother Lakha, who was also nabbed by the police last evening, in a local court that sent them to police custody till May 8.

Sirsa SP Ashwin Shenvi said preliminary interrogations of the accused have revealed that he was running this network for long.

The names of four more persons have been revealed by him, but they all are on the run after Sukha’s arrest.

Meanwhile, the total recovery of opium in this case has reached 38 kg and Rs15 lakh (approx) in cash with the recovery of another 8 kg of the contraband last night.

Sirsa has been for long notorious for opium and poppy husk trafficking.