Punjab Police on Sunday recovered 38 kg heroin concealed in a toolbox of a truck coming from Gujarat and arrested two persons, said Director General of Police (Punjab) Gaurav Yadav here.
The DGP said that arrested two persons are a truck driver identified as Kulwinder Ram alias Kinda and his accomplice identified as Bittu, both residents of Balachaur, SBS Nagar besides booking two drug smugglers identified as Rajesh Kumar alias Sonu Khatri of Rakkara Dhahan and Som Nath alias Bikko of Karawar.
The Police have also impounded the truck, he added.
Inspector general of police, Ludhiana Range, Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, and Senior Superintendent of Police, Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar, Bhagirath Meena, in a joint press briefing informed, "The police had received secret information that a drug smuggler identified as Rajesh Kumar, along with his accomplices Som Nath Bikko, Kulwinder Kinda and Bittu, is engaged in the business of supplying large quantities of heroin in different areas of Punjab by bringing the drug from other states through the truck."
Following this information, an FIR was registered on August 27 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the City Nawanshahr police station, he said adding that a special nakabandi was conducted at Mahalon Bypass in SBS Nagar.
"During the nakabandi when the police party signalled the truck to stop, the truck driver Kulwinder Kinda tried to run away but the police party managed to catch him and Bittu and recovered 38 kg packet of heroin wrapped in a tarpaulin and concealed in a toolbox of the truck," he said.
SSP Bhagirath Meena said that during preliminary interrogation, accused truck driver Kulwinder Kinda disclosed that he had received a call from Rajesh Kumar via Telegram App, who gave him a pinpoint location in Bhuj in Gujarat to pick heroin and bring it to Punjab. The accused further revealed that when he reached the location, an unknown person came and loaded the drug into his truck.
He said that Kulwinder Kinda also disclosed that earlier on the instruction of Rajesh Kumar, he had brought two chunks including 10 kg and then 20 kg heroin from Srinagar Udi in the month of January, besides, 1kg of heroin from Delhi this year.
The SSP said that the Police are conducting raids to nab accused Rajesh Kumar and Som Nath and soon they will be arrested.
The accused Rajesh Kumar alias Sonu Khatri is a professional criminal and facing over 19 cases of henious crimes including murder, hurt, illegal activities, forgery, NDPS Act and Excise Act. While Kulwinder Kinda was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment of 10 years in an NDPS case registered at Nurmahal Police Station regarding 3.45 Quintal Poppy Husk recovery.
( With inputs from ANI )
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