8.5kg opium seized, five UP men arrested
The police have busted two inter-state drug-smuggling modules supplying narcotics in Punjab with the arrest of five UP-based drug suppliers and seizure of 8.5 kg of opium. This was stated by Deepak Pareek, Mohali SSP.
The modules were based in Shahjahanpur and Aliganj of Uttar Pradesh. The duo arrested from the Shahjahanpur module have been identified as Dharm Singh, a resident of Rampur Ben in Shahjahanpur district, and Om Prakash Verma, a resident of Jalalabad in the same district. Those arrested from the Aliganj module included Manish Kumar, a resident of Aliganj in Bareilly district, Kamal and Kamal Verma, both residents of Amroli in Bareilly district.
On December 9, a tip-off was received about members of two different drug modules in possession of opium travelling from Uttar Pradesh towards Punjab in a red jeep and a white car. The teams intercepted the white car driven by Shahjahanpur module members at Nagla Morh, Handesra, leading to their arrest and the seizure of 4 kg of opium. Meanwhile, the red jeep, driven by Aliganj module members, was intercepted on College Road, Dera Bassi, resulting in arrests and seizure of 4.5 kg of opium.
During preliminary interrogation of Shahjahanpur module operatives, it was revealed that they were being handled by Ankit Verma, a resident of Shahjahanpur, and were procuring and transporting large quantities of contraband in Punjab on his instructions. Meanwhile, Aliganj module operative Manish disclosed that he procured drug consignment from Aliganj to distribute further in Punjab. Their handlers have been named in the FIR, added Dera Bassi DSP Bikramjit Singh Brar. Two cases under the NDPS Act have been registered at Handesra and Dera Bassi.
