*235 banned syrup bottles recovered, vehicle seized
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 24: Police unearthed narcotic smugglers and the bus employees’ drugs trade nexus and recovered 235 banned syrup bottles from their possession. However, police also seized the bus, in which the consignment was being smuggled from Delhi to Jammu.
As per police sources, on specific information, the sleuths of Special Operation Group (SOG) Jammu along with police team from Gandhi Nagar police station laid a naka near Digiana Ashram and signaled a video coach bus of Cool Cool Travels bearing registration number UP22T-8433 to stop for checking.
On seeing the police cops, the driver accelerated the vehicle and tried to escape, but the police cops chased and intercepted the bus at some distance from the naka point.
During checking, police recovered 185 banned syrup bottles from a box in the driver’s cabin and arrested him and his associate. The bus was also seized.
The accused have been identified as Rajesh Kumar (driver), son of Ramphal of Mehmoodpur Sonipat, Haryana and conductor Balwinder Sharma alias Mundri, son of Jagan Nath of Jakheni.
During questioning, the duo revealed that they were doing this illegal business for the past some time. “We bring the banned syrup bottles from Delhi and deliver them to Lakhvir Singh alias Lucky, son of late Sohan Singh of Nanak Nagar at Bus Stand Jammu, after contacting him through our personal mobile phone numbers”, they stated.
“After purchasing the banned syrup bottles from Delhi, we hand over the same to Lakhvir as he offer us the benefit of Rs 5,000 per trip”, the accused disclosed.
On their disclosure, Lakhvir Singh was also arrested and on his revelation, 50 bottles of banned syrup were also seized taking the total seizure of banned syrup bottles to 235.
Earlier, Lakhvir Singh was driving the said bus and now he was doing this illegal business in connivance with the present driver and conductor of this bus.
Prior to this, the aforesaid consignment was being carried out by the accused persons through Railway, but their modus operandi was curbed on October 30, 2015 with the recovery of 230 bottles of banned syrup and 2496 intoxicant capsules by Gandhi Nagar police.
In view of above, these accused persons adopted a fresh modus operandi for supply of drug among the youths of Jammu to increase their illegal business by carrying such consignment through bus.
With the arrest of these three narcotic smugglers, police has achieved a major success to curb the menace of drug abuse among the youths.
A case under FIR Number 306/15 under Section 8/21/22 Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against the accused at police station Gandhi Nagar and involvement of some other drug smugglers in this illegal trade at this stage cannot be ruled out as investigation into the case is going on.
The nexus was unearthed by a team headed by SHO police station Gandhi Nagar Inspector Bishnesh Kumar and SI Ajay Kumar of SOG Jammu under the supervision of SDPO City South Sachin Gupta, SP City South Shazaad Salaria, SP Operations Jammu Udhay Baskar Billa and SSP Jammu Uttam Chand.
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