Pathankot cops seize 155-kg poppy husk

Pathankot, November 13

The Pathankot police seized 155 kg of poppy husk hidden in a specially designed compartment of a truck and arrested two smugglers. This is the fifth major haul in the last 30 days.

The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh, who coordinated the operation, said the accused — Binder Kumar of Hoshiarpur and Sukhwinder Singh of Kapurthala — were trying to bring in the contraband from Madhya Pradesh.

On earlier occasions, the consignments came from the neighbouring state of J&K. This is for the first time in recent years that drugs smuggled from MP have been confiscated.

The SSP said the police acted on an input received from one of their informers who is said to have infiltrated the smugglers’ ranks.

“He told us that a massive consignment would be moving through the Taragarh police station area where it would be unloaded before being brought to the city,” the SSP said.

“I alerted the Station House Officer (SHO) of Taragarh police station. A check-post was set up on the Mallikpur-Kirian road. The truck driver was asked to stop the vehicle at the check post. When subsequently searched, it revealed nothing because the drug had been very cleverly hidden in a specially carved out compartment,” the SSP added. “However, since our tip-off was confirmed, we searched the vehicle and found the drug,” said an officer engaged in the search.

The suspects will be produced in a court tomorrow where officials will seek their police remand.