Poppy husk smuggling kingpin nabbed

Tribune News Service

Solan, July 20

The Paonta Sahib police nabbed Rishipal, poppy husk smuggling kingpin, from the Behral inter-state barrier, minutes before he could enter Haryana late last evening.

He is a resident of Bankalan village in Nahan, and the police had been looking for him ever since a seizure of 844.200 kg of poppy husk had taken place in April from a truck, near Majra.

Paonta Sahib DSP Bir Bahadur said he was apprehended from his car while he was trying to enter Haryana. He was the key accused and had been on the run ever since a case under the NDPS Act was registered against him on April 11 for smuggling poppy husk.

A team comprising SHO Rajesh Pal arrested the accused last evening.

As per the probe, the truck that was used to smuggle poppy husk, was owned by Rishipal. The driver and the cleaner of the truck pointed to Rishipal’s role in poppy husk smuggling. Further probe would be done to find the source of the contraband, said the DSP.

The contraband seized by the police was slated to be sold in various districts, including Shimla. This large-scale seizure broke the backbone of this proliferating trade.