7.93L tablets, injections of pharma opioids seized in Punjab
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 Jul, 2022 01:02 PM
Chandigarh, July 25 (IANS) Amid the ongoing war against drugs, Punjab Police have seized over 7.93 lakh tablets, capsules and injections of pharma opioids across the state in the past week, a senior police official said on Monday.
The seized pharma opioids include 6.82 lakh intoxicant tablets, 17,169 injectable narcotics, 85,442 intoxicant capsules and 8,648 vials of intoxicant syrup.
The major recovery comes after the Fatehgarh Sahib police had busted a pharmaceutical drug cartel after making a big seizure of over 7 lakh pharma opioids during a raid at an illegal storage godown in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill, who was addressing the weekly press meet here.
He said the police have arrested 508 drug smugglers and suppliers after registering 389 FIRs, including 40 commercial, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the past week.
In addition, the police have also arrested 31 proclaimed offenders and absconders wanted in the NDPS cases.
Apart from recovering pharma opioids, the police have also recovered 8.37 kg heroin, 32.28 kg opium, 53.2 kg ganja, and 140 quintals of poppy husk, besides recovering Rs 11.73 lakh drug money after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas.
Talking about the trends in drug smuggling, IGP Gill said using emergency service vehicles like ambulance for drug smuggling raised serious concerns.
The police in Mohali on Sunday arrested three persons after recovering 8 kg opium concealed in a pillow placed under the head of a fake patient lying in the ambulance.
The accused, identified as Nikhil Goswami, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad, before being arrested by the Delhi Police from Ghaziabad, stayed for two days in Manali, Himachal Pradesh in an expensive hotel, where the room rent was Rs 25,000 per day.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M. Sundresh expressed concern over the ongoing legal battle between Singh and the Maharashtra government, terming it a "messy state of affairs" and also a "very unfortunate situation".
The NCB was keeping a close vigil on the drug smuggling cases in all the election-bound states, during which as many as 14 cases related to the seizure of drugs were reported from Punjab, which went to the polls in a single phase on February 20.
Judge Ambalal R Patel announced a compensation of Rs one lakh for the families of the deceased, Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.
The BJP claimed the Prime Minister hosting the prominent Sikhs will help the party by sending a message to the people of Punjab that he is deeply connected with the community and understands their concerns and issues. Another party leader aware of Punjab politics said that the interaction will help the BJP to dispel the anti-Sikh misconception built around it.
Continuing his attack on Punjab Chief Minister Charanjeet Singh Channi, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Friday said that Channi has no knowledge of Bihar. Nitish Kumar claimed that the Congress party gave a chance to a person who has no knowledge of Bihar and Bihari people.
