Three arrested with 60-kg poppy husk

Jalandhar, May 29

The police on Saturday arrested three persons with 60 kg poppy husk here. Those arrested have been identified as Malkit Singh of Talwandi Bootian, Shahkot; Sahil Singh of Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir; and Arshdeep Singh of Kakar Kalan, Shahkot.

The police stopped a Bolero pick-up (PB08EC 1538) at Daroli Kalan and on search, they found four sacks in it containing 40 kg of poppy husk. The car’s occupants were identified as Malkit Singh and Sahil Singh.

A case under Sections 15-C, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered against the duo at the Adampur police station. During interrogation, Malkit also revealed that 20 kg of poppy husk was stashed in a white Honda City car (CH03 W 1020) standing at a dhaba in Adampur which was also seized by the police.

Malkit said he had sold 20 kg of poppy husk to Arshdeep Singh, a resident of Kakar Kalan, six to seven days ago and the police raided the village and found 8 kg of poppy husk from the possession of Arshdeep Singh.

A case under Sections 15-B, 29, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act was lodged against Arshdeep at the Shahkot police station. Both Bolero and Honda city car found at the dhaba had been impounded.

During probe, Malkit Singh said he was buying poppy husk from a taxi driver in Himachal Pradesh and he had hired Sahil Singh as a driver for his Bolero. There are four previous cases registered against Malkit Singh, the police said. Arshdeep said he was selling the poppy husk provided by Malkit to labourers in his village in paper pouches.— TNS