In a major crackdown, the Punjab Police and Counter Intelligence arrested two persons, who were smuggling poppy husk from Rajasthan to Punjab.Both accused have been identified as Dharamjit Singh s/o Surjit Singh resident of village Landeke district Moga and Gurbir Singh s/o Gurjant Singh resident of village Rattian in district Moga have been arrested and the truck loaded with 180 bags of poppy husk was impounded.Speaking in a press conference, AIG Counter Intelligence HPS Khakh told that the kingpins of this smuggling module are Jagdev Singh alias Deban s/o Surat Singh and Shinder Singh son of Niranjan Singhare, are residents of “Daulewala” village of Moga district, infamous for drug smuggling. They along with their another counterpart Butta Singh s/o Mandar Singh resident of village Charik Distt Moga were smuggling poppy husk from a long spam. He said that Counter intelligence Wing Jalandhar was keeping a close watch on the activities of drug smugglers of village “Daulewala”.It came to the notice that a particular module of smugglers led by “Deban” planned to take one heavy consignment of poppy husk from Rajasthan, for that they hired a person namely Dharmjit Singh to procure this consignment from “Rahul” named poppy husk contractor resident of “Chittorgarh” of Rajasthan state in a big long truck,” Khakh said.He said that today early morning, they got tip-off information that these smugglers are coming from Rajasthan to Punjab in a truck number PB 07 U 1945, which is fully covered with tarpaulin and a Scorpio number PB 29 N 9314 is escorting this consignment.
This information was immediately shared with district chief of Moga Police Sh. Gurpreet Singh Toor IPS and police parties were alerted in the area to apprehend this consignment.SI Dilbag Singh SHO PS Mehna along with his police party while patrolling at Baghapurana -Jagraon road, successfully intercepted this truck and detained the loaded truck along with smugglers and consignment.While, Jagdev Singh alias Deban, Shinder Singh, Buta Singh, taking advantage of the darkness managed to flee from the spot in a white Scorpio car number PB 29 N 9314.The police have lodged FIR no 79 Dated 06 August 2018 under section 15/25/29-61-85 NDPS Act at PS Mehna Distt Moga has been registered against these persons and police parties are dispatched to arrest remaining smugglers Jagdev Singh alias Deban, Shinder Singh, Buta Singh and their other associates involved in this drug trade.It is pertinent to mention here that as the Punjab Police have already broken down the supply chain of drugs which resulted in shoot up in prices of drugs rates in the consumer market and even one kg of poppy husk is sold at Rs 3000/Kg so this recovered consignment is worth crores of rupees (72.500 Quintals) .AIG HPS Khakh further explained media that during the preliminary investigation, it has come to fore that these smugglers transmitted money to their Rajasthan counterparts through “Hawala” operators which are new modus operandi in this trade and this part is under investigation so that the total nexus should be busted out completely.He adds that every time, these smugglers opt a new modus operandi to hide these drugs and to avoids pungent smell of poppy husk. This time they hide this consignment under bananas, he added.