DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
samba Jan 22
Samba Police have arrested an interstate smuggler of narcotics and recovered 18 Kgs of poppy straw during a routine check at Mansar, within the jurisdiction of Police Station Samba. A police party from Police Post Mansar, conducting vehicle checks at Mansar ‘naka’, intercepted a gas tanker arriving from the Srinagar side for inspection. Upon checking the vehicle, 18 Kgs of poppy straw were discovered. The accused driver, identified as Mohd. Fazal Bhat, son of Mohd. Afzal, resident of Dharsakri district Rajouri, has been apprehended, and both the contraband and the vehicle have been seized.
A case, FIR No. 25/2024 u/s 8/15/25 NDPS Act, has been registered at Police Station Samba through Police Post Mansar, and investigations are currently underway. The arrested accused was allegedly smuggling poppy straw from Kashmir to Punjab in a gas tanker, aiming to evade police scrutiny and capitalize on substantial profits. However, the vigilant Samba police, during a thorough inspection of vehicles at Mansar ‘naka’, successfully exposed the modus operandi of the interstate smuggler, leading to the recovery of illicit narcotics hidden in a box behind the driver’s seat. The arrested individual, Mohd. Fazal Bhat, is undergoing interrogation to extract further information and establish any potential linkages.
