Two arrested for smuggling poppy straw worth Rs 10 cr
NEW DELHI: A large haul of poppy straw brought from Naxalite-hit areas of Jharkhand and meant to be supplied in Punjab has been confiscated by the Special cell of Delhi Police, with cops saying on Saturday that the market value of the recovered 12 quintals contraband is Rs 10 crore.
Cops said that on July 3, a tip-off was received that Bhim Giri – a resident of Patiala, Punjab, and a big name in the illegal drug trade – had brought big consignment of poppy straw in a truck from Chatra, Jharkhand to be delivered to drug peddlers of Punjab via Delhi.
Cops laid a trap near Burari flyover in Ring Road, and the suspected truck was spotted and forced to stop before Burari flyover by police vehicles.
The truck was being driven by Bhim Giri, with one Ravinder Singh sitting beside him. Inside the truck, 60 white plastic bags with poppy straw were recovered. One bag contained 25 kg of poppy straw, while the remaining bags had 20 kg each.
Both the men were arrested and case under appropriate sections of law has been registered by the Special Cell.
“Both the arrested persons were subjected to sustained interrogation revealed that they had brought consignment of poppy straw, concealed between bags of rice paddy, in their truck from Chatra, Jharkhand to deliver the same to drug peddlers of Punjab and Haryana. “The two also disclosed that they have been involved in poppy trade from Jharkhand for the last five years. They have already supplied more than 800 quintals of poppy straw in Punjab during this period,” said DCP (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah.
During investigation, it also came to light that Naxalism-affected areas of Jharkhand have became a hotbed of illegal cultivation of opium for the last 15 years.