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 have been identified as Nitin Pratap alias Atul and Sandeep Kumar -- residents of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh. Police said the accused used a Suzuki Gixxer motorcycle for the last two months to commit the crime in Gurugram and Rajasthan, and they used to travel from Tapukara in Rajasthan once a week to snatch mobile phones.
The deceased, identified as Megha Kayal, 40, was working as a doctor in London Milton Keynes University Hospital. Prior to this, she was a doctor at Apollo hospital, Sarita Vihar, Delhi.
A gofundme has raised US$70,000 for the victim family. The bodies of the four family members – who have been identified after autopsies as Jagdish Patel, 39, his wife Vaishaliben Patel, 37, daughter Vihangi Patel, 11, and son Dharmik Patel, 3 – are currently lying in a morgue in Winnipeg.
Senior advocate and Additional Solicitor General Rupinder Singh Suri passed away, sources said here on Monday. According to reports, he was battling Covid-related complications for over a week. He is survived by his wife Gurvinder and advocate daughters Suruchi and Simar.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana told the Punjab government counsel to advise his government to refrain from launching criminal cases against the political opponents, just before the election. The top court directed Majithia to surrender on February 24 before the trial court and seek regular bail.
The chief minister further said that from Monday onwards, they have started recouping farmers' loss. "By providing them with a financial assistance of Rs 20,000 per acre, Delhi is paying the highest compensation amount across the nation," he tweeted, adding that they have handed over cheques amounting to Rs 2.5 lakh or 3 lakh.
