After Punjab Police tip-off, 75-kg heroin seized at Gujarat’s Mundra Port
The Punjab Police in a joint operation with the ATS, Gujarat, and central agencies on Tuesday recovered 75 kg of heroin worth ₹350 crore from a container at the Mundra Port in Gujarat.
The contraband was recovered following specific intelligence regarding the smuggling of heroin from the UAE to Punjab, said director-general of police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, adding the consignment was kept concealed in a container of unstitched clothes using a cardboard pipe which was further camouflaged by an oversized plastic pipe.
The container, which was loaded from Jebel Ali port in the UAE, was booked by an importer from Malerkotla, Punjab.
As per preliminary investigations, the DGP said as the links of the container have been established with Punjab, this consignment seems to be routed to some other place via Punjab. “The Punjab part is being explored and investigated,” he added.
This recovery comes as a major success amid the ongoing war against drugs launched on the direction of chief minister Bhagwant Mann.
The DGP said following the inputs, the Punjab Police’s State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), SAS Nagar, had immediately sent police teams to Gujarat and deputed at the Mundra Port.
“In coordination with the central agency and the ATS, Gujarat, searches were made at the Mundra Port with the help of the customs,” he said, adding that after following due procedure and documentation, the container was opened up which led to the recovery of a big haul of 75 kg of heroin.
To ensure transparency and following the NDPS Act guidelines, the consignment was opened in the presence of customs officials and a magistrate.
Some suspected persons from Malerkotla and Ludhiana found to be linked with this import of consignment have been called for questioning by the district police concerned.
An FIR under Sections 8C, 21-C, 23-C, and 29 of the NDPS Act has been registered by the ATS, Gujarat.
