3 nailed for smuggling opium in ambulance in Mohali
Mohali, July 24
This seems to be straight out of a Bollywood potboiler — Members of an interstate gang smuggling 8-kg opium in a pillow under the patient’s head in a speeding ambulance were caught by a police party at the Dappar toll plaza.
The police said when they signalled the ambulance to stop last evening, the smugglers pretended to be heading towards a hospital. One of them was lying on a stretcher, posing as a patient. When the police noticed there were no oxygen cylinder and first aid kit in the ambulance, they thoroughly searched the vehicle. They found 8 kg of opium concealed inside the pillow placed under the ‘patient’s’ head.
The gang members said they had smuggled about 10 kg of opium each 10 times using the same modus operandi, said the police.
The suspects, identified as Rampur (UP) resident Ravi Srivastav (28), Nayagaon resident Harinder Sharma (47) and Khudda Ali Sher resident Ankush (27), were arrested under the NDPS Act by the Lalru police yesterday.
Mohali SSP Vivek S Soni said the suspects would be produced before the court and their police remand sought. “They were bringing the narcotics from Bareilly. There will be more revelations. The investigation is going on,” he said.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ropar Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said he would take up this issue with the authorities concerned. “The accused had purchased a second-hand Ambulance and started using it for smuggling drugs,” he said.
Bhullar said he had also asked all SSPs in the range to hold a meeting with the representatives of all hospitals and NGOs in their respective districts and get a list of ambulances assigned to them. He also suggested using a special beacon atop ambulances which could signify whether there was a patient in the ambulance or not.
Drug haul since April 1
About the drug recoveries in his range since April 1, 2022, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ropar Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said they had recovered a total of 2.41 kg of heroin, 20.42 kg of opium, 2.10 quintals of poppy husk, 200 grams of charas, 7.29 kg of ganja, 40,945 intoxicant injections, 8,70,590 intoxicant tablets besides Rs 8.08 lakh drug money. The police have registered 211 FIRs and arrested 307 suspects. The police also arrested 11 proclaimed offenders, he added.
Crime file
- Brought drugs from Bareilly
- All suspects local residents
- Purchased second-hand vehicle
- More revelations likely
