Following specific intelligence regarding the smuggling of heroin from UAE to Punjab, Punjab Police teams, in a joint operation with ATS Gujarat and Central Agencies, recovered 75 kilogram (kg) heroin from a container at Mundra Port in Gujarat, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.
The consignment of heroin, estimated to be worth over Rs 375 crore, was found in a container near the Mundra port in Kutch district.
The DGP said the contraband 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 UAE, was booked by an importer from Malerkotla, Punjab.
As per preliminary investigations, Yadav said that as the links of the container have been established with Punjab, this consignment seems to be routed to some other place via Punjab. “Punjab Part is being explored and investigated,” he added.
Yadav further said that following the inputs, the Punjab Police’s State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) SAS Nagar had immediately sent police teams to Gujarat and deputed them at the Mundra Port.
“In coordination with the Central agency and ATS Gujarat, the searches were made at the Mundra Port with the help of 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 heroin. To ensure transparency and following NDPS act guidelines, the consignment was opened in presence of customs officials and magistrate.
To ascertain backward and forward linkages, some suspected persons from Malerkotla and Ludhiana found to be linked with this import of consignment have been called for questioning by the concerned district police, the DGP said adding