UP native held with 2.6 kg opium in Panchkula

The Panchkula Police Crime Branch has arrested a 29-year-old man with 2.613 kg of opium.

The accused, identified as Maniram, a resident of Diyoriyan village in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh, was caught red-handed during a police operation in Sector 26.

Acting on a tip-off, the Crime Branch team, led by ACP (Crime) Arvind Camboj and Sub-Inspector Mandeep Singh apprehended the accused near the Polytechnic College while he was waiting to deliver the opium consignment.

The contraband is estimated to be worth several lakhs in the illicit drug market.

A case has been registered under Section 18 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at the Chandimandir Police Station.

The accused was produced in a court today, from where he was remanded to four-day police custody.

Investigators plan to interrogate Maniram to trace the supply chain, identify local recipients and expose links to the main supplier in Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the police have identified several drug hotspots in and around Panchkula and have ordered special surveillance and raids.