High sea drug bust: DRI, Coast Guard seize 218 kg heroin off Lakshwadeep
Darpan News Desk IANS, 20 May, 2022 10:37 AM
New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) In a joint operation titled "Khojbeen", the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and the Indian Coast Guard maintained patient vigil on rough seas for over 10 days to bust an international drug syndicate and seized 128 kg heroin smuggled on two boats off the coast of Lakshadweep Islands, officials said on Friday.
Two boats "Prince" and "Little Jesus" have been seized and few persons have been detained.
The operation was launched by the DRI after it developed specific intelligence, over a period of several months, that two Indian boats would be sailing from the coast of Tamil Nadu and would receive narcotics in huge quantity somewhere in the Arabian Sea.
Accordingly, joint operation "Khojbeen" was launched on May 7.
Under the operation, Coast Guard ship Sujeet, with DRI officials onboard, maintained a close watch near the country's Exclusive Economic Zone.
"After several days of continuous search and monitoring amidst very rough seas, two boats 'Prince' and 'Little Jesus' were noticed moving towards India. Both the Indian boats were intercepted on May 18 off the coast of Lakshadweep Islands. On questioning some of the crew members in the boats confessed that they had received heroin in huge quantity on the high seas and that they had concealed it in both the boats. In view thereof, both the boats were escorted to Kochi for further proceedings," said a DRI official.
A thorough search of both the boats was carried out at the Coast Guard District Headquarters at Kochi, which resulted in recovery of 218 1-kg packets of of heroin.
"The operation was meticulously planned and executed by the DRI and the ICG and entailed extensive surveillance in the rough seas over a period of several days. Seized drug appears to be of high-grade heroin and its value in the international illicit market is estimated to be around Rs 1,526 crore," the official said.
In the recent past, both agencies have undertaken some significant anti-drug trafficking operations.
This is the fourth major drug bust by the DRI in the past one month. Earlier, it recovered 205.6 kg of heroin from a commercial import consignment of gypsum powder at the Kandla port on April 20, 396 kg of heroin-laced threads at Pipavav port on April 29, and 62 kg heroin at Air Cargo Complex, IGI New Delhi on May 10, totally valued at approximately Rs 2,500 crore in the international illicit market.
Guru Tegh Bahadur, also known as Hind Di Chadar, stands as a shining symbol of the country's great pluralistic tradition and secularism, and his supreme sacrifice forms an important part of India's history. According to the Chief Minister, Haryana shares a special bond not only with Guru Tegh Bahadur but all 10 Sikh gurus as most of them travelled across the state.
The delegation has demanded that the police should avoid unilateral action and arrest the culprits as soon as possible, and take stern action against whoever is guilty without any discrimination.
Seven others were injured in the mishap, who have shifted to the BDK Hospital in Jhunjhunu. As per the locals, around 18 members of a family had gone to immerse the ashes of an elderly family member who passed away recently when their vehicle overturned.
Superintendent of Police, Rae Bareli, Shlok Kumar said that the main accused in the case is a minor and has been sent to a juvenile home, while six others, identified as Abhishek, Vikas Pasi, Mahendra Kumar, Hrithik Singh, Aman Singh and Yash Pratap are majors and they have been arrested.
Denying bail to the jeweller Dev Varma (40), Chief metropolitan magistrate Pankaj Sharma said in the Monday's order that some of the expensive jewellery in connection with the crime was yet to be recovered and pointed out the Delhi Police's stand in the matter.
Orthopedic specialist Dr. Satish Kumar Poonia working in Ringus CHC, his wife Sarita Poonia, son Raja alias Daksh (14), Poonia's brother-in-law Rajesh Devanda (35) and Rajesh's wife Reena died in accident. The search is on for the doctor's two-year-old daughter Rajvi and her brother-in-law's elder brother's 4-year-old daughter Gudiya in the canal.
