Excelsior Correspondent
UDHAMPUR, Nov 14: In a major success, Police today seized 225 kg poppy straw and arrested 2 drug peddlers who were smuggling the consignment from Kashmir towards Jammu onwards.
Police has also seized the truck bearing fake registration number, in which the poppy straw was being smuggled by concealing the same in a cavity created in loaded apple boxes.
According to SSP Udhampur Anil Magotra, the preliminary investigations and interrogation of the arrested accused revealed modus operandi of the smugglers who were frequently changing number plate of the truck on-way to deceive the Police personnel deployed on various naka points.
The actual registration number of the truck was established as JK02AL-5292, he added and identified both the smugglers as Joginder Singh of Simblali, Akhnoor and Nazir Ahmed of Judda, Reasi.
Giving more details, he said that during surprise checking of vehicles on the National Highway near Kud in the wee hours today, a Police party led by SHO Kud Raghubir Singh intercepted a truck with number plate JK02AB-6096. On noticing police naka, the truck driver fled the spot leaving behind the vehicle while his two associates also tried to flee. However, Police chased and arrested both the smugglers following which SDPO Chenani Gian Chand Sharma, who was also on the spot, subjected the truck to through search, which was apparently loaded with apple boxes. On being unloaded, it was found that the smugglers had created a cavity in the truck by way of fixing apple boxes along top, bottom and walls of the load area of the vehicle.
In-between these apple boxes, eight jute bags fully packed with poppy straw (bhukki) were adjusted in this cavity to deceive the Police and smoothly transport the consignment towards Jammu, Punjab and other States of North India.
Whole of the consignment as well as the truck were seized on the spot. Police parties have been dispatched to apprehend the driver while a case FIR No 131 U/S 8/15 NDPS Act is registered in Police Station Kud for further investigation.
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