Ludhiana: Smuggler arrested with 5 kg opium and 30 kg poppy husk
Ludhiana: Ludhiana police claimed to have arrested a drug smuggler and recovered 5.060 grams of opium and 30 kg of poppy husk from him. The suspect has been identified as Jagmel Singh alias Happy (42), a resident of Balara Bana village in Samrala. Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Jashandeep Singh Gill, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Industrial Area A) Inderjit Singh Boparai, and Inspector Bhupinder Singh held a press conference regarding this. Speaking to the media, Teja said that on February 24, a police team was present near Shiv Chowk when they received information that Jagmel Singh alias Happy, a resident of Tibba village in Ludhiana, and Taranpreet Singh, who were involved in drug smuggling, were bringing poppy husk and opium from other states at cheap rates and selling them at higher prices in Ludhiana. According to reports, Jagmel was traveling to Transport Nagar in a canter carrying a large quantity of opium and poppy husk for Taranpreet Singh and Happy, residents of Tibba. Acting on a tip-off, a checkpoint was set up at a specific location, and after stopping the canter, its driver, Jagmel, was detained. Police searched the canter and recovered 5.060 grams of opium and 30 kg of crushed poppy seeds hidden in a cabin. The DCP stated that Jagmel was arrested on the spot. He claimed that a police team is conducting raids to apprehend the other two suspects, the vehicle owner, Taranpreet Singh, and Happy. More important revelations are expected after the suspects are produced in court and granted police remand.
During Jagmel’s interrogation, it was revealed that Tarunpreet was the owner of the canter. Jagmel was hired as the driver for the canter three months ago. Tarunpreet is Happy’s uncle. The three suspects brought opium and poppy seeds from other states in canters at cheap rates and sold them at higher prices in the city and surrounding areas. Following a plan hatched by the canter owner, Jagmel loaded bicycles from Ludhiana into the canter on February 17 and delivered them to Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh). After unloading the bicycles, he returned from that area and loaded empty plastic bottles into the canter. At Tarunpreet’s behest, Jagmel obtained opium wrapped in a plastic envelope and poppy husk in a plastic bag from an unknown person in Mansoor town, MP, and smuggled it into Ludhiana. The ACP said that further interrogation of the suspect will help the police track down a major supplier from MP involved in drug trafficking.
