Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, July 21: Police today recovered 66.5 kilogramme of narcotics from a Pakistan occupied Kashmir(PoK) truck near the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri leading to India and Pakistan standoff with 43 trucks and their drivers stranded on either side of the LoC.
SSP Baramulla, Imtiaz Hussain told Excelsior that they had prior information that truck was carrying narcotics and once it arrived in Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri, it was thoroughly checked and over 300 packets with total weight of 66.5 kilogrammes of narcotic drugs which appear to be heroin were recovered.
The SSP said that the narcotics were hidden in fake cavities specifically fabricated for this purpose in boxes purportedly to contain mercantile goods. He said that around 200 grammes of narcotics was found in each box.
The consignment was meant for Kuloo Suppliers and addressed to Gul Ayazudin Gouhar at Fruit Mandi Parimpora Srinagar. There were 2367 pieces of mercantile goods in the truck worth Rs 54, 04, 400. The consignment was booked by one Anjum Zaman in PoK.
Baramulla police have registered a case (FIR number 54/2017 under section 29 NDPS Act) and further investigation has been taken up.
The Truck driver Syed Yousuf son of Ali Akbar was detained and he is being questioned, His truck bearing registration number XA-267 has been seized.
Sources said that 14 trucks along with their drivers were held up at the Salamabad till late night. The 29 trucks that had gone from Uri to Chakoti along with goods are also held up in PoK as the trucks from both the sides cross the LoC simultaneously. The standoff continued till late night.
The PoK drivers who were stranded at Salamabad said that they will take up the issue of the recovery of the drugs from the truck with their Government and demand stern action against the trader who sent the consignment. They said that earlier as well a driver was arrested under similar charges and he is still in jail for last two years.
They said that the drivers know nothing about the consignment as it is being booked by the traders and their role is confined to the driving of the vehicles only.
In the meantime, a police spokesman said that Jammu and Kashmir Police has seized narcotic drugs from a truck coming from PoK to this side as a part of cross LoC trade at Trade Centre Salamabad, Uri in Baramulla today.
“Acting on a specific information about the transportation of narcotic drugs from PoK to this side by means of cross LoC trade, a police team during checking at Trade Centre Salamabad, Uri in Baramulla recovered 66.5 kilograms of narcotic drugs which appear to be heroine from a truck bearing registration number XA-267. The drugs were hidden in fake cavities specifically fabricated for this purpose in boxes purportedly to contain mercantile goods”, he said.
Two years ago the seizure of narcotics from a PoK truck led to standoff at the LoC with 78 truckers from both the sides getting stranded for several days.
At that time, 305 packets of brown sugar were recovered from a Pakistani truck bearing registration number P-9627 during its search at Salamabad Uri. The PoK truck driver Syed Inayat Hussain Shah, resident of Kumikote Muzaffarbad was arrested and he is still in the jail. The goods, the orange boxes, of the truck at that time were meant for RR Traders Baramulla, owned by Zahoor Ahmad Malla alias Raju Trali, resident of Mir Sahib Old Town Baramulla and the consignment was sent by Mir Traders Muzzaffarabad, whose owner is Mushtaq Ahmad Mir.
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