Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Jan 17: In a major drug haul, Jammu and Kashmir Police today recovered around 114 kilogrammes of narcotics from a truck at Salamabad Trade Faciliation Centre, Uri in district Baramulla that was coming from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) as part of trans-Line of Control (LoC) trade.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) and Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Uri, Govind Ratan told Excelsior that truck bearing registration number RIS-2137 and driven by Mohammad Shafiq, a Pakistani national, loaded with almonds was searched at Salamabad trade LoC centre and 114 packets of the narcotics were recovered from it.
The Police officer said that the packets were hidden in almond bags and loaded in the truck that came from Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre in PoK to Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri, North Kashmir this afternoon.
Ratan said that the driver of the truck was questioned at the Salamabad Trade Centre and other 48 trucks that arrived from PoK today were thoroughly searched.
A case (FIR no 06/2014 under Section 8/21 NDPS Act) was registered in Police Station Uri and police are investigating the case. The Police officer said that some people were arrested in this connection.
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla, Zubair Ahmad Khan told Excelsior that a forensic expert team was called and they took samples of the recovered narcotics. However, sources said that the recovered narcotics are most probably brown sugar.
Sources said that almonds were meant for M/S Shoukat Habib Trading Corporation Bandipora.
Forty nine trucks carrying goods from PoK crossed the Aman Setu this afternoon into Salamabad Uri while 17 trucks went across to Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre, Muzaffarabad as part of LoC trade.
The SSP said that truck from which narcotics was recovered and its driver have been detained at the Trade Facilitation Centre Salamabad and other trucks have been sent to Aman Setu for crossing the LoC into Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre.
Seventeen Trucks that had gone to Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre from Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre were still at the LoC on Pakistan side till late night.
The SSP said that the Custodian of the Trade Facilitation Centre, Chakoti in Muzaffarabad was informed about the recovery and he was told that the truck and driver have been detained for investigations.
This is the second incident of seizure of drugs from trans-LoC trade since 2008. Last year in August, Police recovered cocaine worth Rs 10 lakh from a truck. Nine packets of cocaine, each weighing one kilo and valued at Rs 10 crore in international drug market, was concealed in a tyre of a truck and kept in tool box. The truck had gone to deliver goods at Chakoti trade facilitation centre, Muzaffarabad.
Police had claimed that the consignment was meant for Hizbul Mujahideen and later arrested Yasir Ahmad Mir son of Abdul Rehman Mir of Hazratbal Srinagar.
The barter trade of around two dozen listed items between India and Pakistan operates for four days a week through Aman Setu LoC from Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri to Chakoti Trade Facilitation Centre, Muzaffarabad.
The trans-LoC trade was started in October 2008 as part of Jammu and Kashmir specific Confidence Building Measure between India and Pakistan. Earlier trans-LoC bus was started after 57 years in April 2005.
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