‘BIG FISH’ ZEERA AMONG 3 DRUG SMUGGLERS IN POLICE NET

CHANDIGARH: In two major crackdowns, Punjab Police have arrested three alleged poppy husk smugglers, including ‘big fish’ Jagir Singh alias Zeera.

Zeera, hailing from Daulewal village in Moga, was nabbed by the Special Operations Teams (SOT) of Jalandhar counter-intelligence Wing and Jalandhar Police Commissionerate.

An ‘A category’ smuggler, Zeera is a proclaimed offender in about a dozen drug cases and had managed to evade arrest for the last 14 years, said a police spokesperson. Two big trucks fully loaded with poppy husk were intercepted by two different teams of SOT in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, said the spokesperson, adding that with these seizures, a dangerous chain of drug smuggling, flowing freely from MP and Rajasthan, had been smashed.

He was arrested by SOT when they intercepted a Rajasthan number truck near Wadala Chowk, Jalandhar, and recovered 55 bags of poppy husk (each bag contained 40 kg poppy husk) from him. The bags had been cleverly concealed under 200 bags of powder, which is used in the manufacture of rubber slippers (chappals). Since the powder has a pungent smell, it was used to conceal poppy husk.

A case under Section 15/61/85 NDPS Act 25/54/59 Arms was registered on Thursday against Zeera at PS Bhargo Camp, Jalandhar commissionerate. Zeera was wanted by police of different districts in more than 10 cases of NDPS Act. The spokesperson claimed that the search of Zeera’s house led to the recovery of an illegal pistol and cartridges.