1.5-tonne poppy husk seized in Sirsa, 2 arrested

As part of an anti-drug drive, the police achieved a major breakthrough by seizing 1,548 kg of poppy husk in a joint operation led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Ellenabad and CIA Ellenabad incharge, Inspector Dharmveer.

The consignment was found in a canter truck in Ding police station area. Two accused, Saddam Hussain and Nadar Khan, have been arrested, while two others managed to escape. The police said they had succeeded in breaking an inter-state drug smuggling network.

Inspector Dharmveer said the action was based on a tip-off from the Saharanpur Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in Uttar Pradesh. PSI Ravi Kumar informed the Sirsa police that two men were transporting poppy husk from Rajasthan via Ding Mandi to Bathinda in Punjab.

The CIA team, led by ASI Prahlad Singh, set up a checkpoint near Patli Dabar bus stand on Ding road. Around 4 am, a truck was stopped, and the suspects tried to flee. The police caught them immediately.

During questioning, the driver identified himself as Saddam Hussain, a resident of Mewatipura, Mandsaur (MP), and currently living at Pratapgarh in Rajasthan. His accomplice, Nadar Khan, is also from Pratapgarh.

Due to highway traffic, the vehicle was taken to the police station for inspection. Seventy-seven bags containing poppy husk, valued at over Rs 1 crore, were found in the truck.

A case under the NDPS Act has been registered and raids are going on to arrest the other accused.