Police bust inter-district drug syndicate, seize 44 kg poppy husk in Mahendergarh

Narnaul: In a major anti-narcotics operation, the police on Monday claimed to have dismantled an inter-district drug smuggling network by arresting two alleged traffickers and recovering over 44 kilograms of poppy husk near Satnali in the Mahendergarh district.The operation was carried out by the CIA unit under the supervision of SP Deepak as part of the district police's intensified crackdown against narcotics trafficking.According to police officials, the CIA team received specific intelligence inputs while patrolling near the Gaushala turn in Satnali that two men from Jhajjar district were transporting a large consignment of contraband in a commercial canter truck coming from the Surajgarh side.Acting swiftly on the tip-off, police teams laid a strategic barricade near the peripheral road of Bas village and intercepted the suspected vehicle. The driver and his accomplice were taken into custody on the spot.The accused were identified as Manoj and Ravindra, both residents of Naugaon village in Jhajjar district.Police said that in compliance with the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a gazetted officer was called to supervise the search operation. During the inspection, officers recovered two plastic sacks concealed inside the vehicle containing poppy husk, commonly known as ‘bhukki' or ‘chura post'.The seized contraband weighed 22.4 kg in one bag and 22.4 kg in the second, taking the total recovery to 44.8 kg. The narcotics and the canter truck used for transportation were seized by the police.A case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act has been registered at Satnali police station, and the accused were produced before a local court.Investigating officer inspector Dharam Singh said the police are now probing the backward and forward linkages of the racket to identify suppliers, receivers and other members associated with the trafficking network.Reiterating the district police's zero-tolerance approach against narcotics, officials said stringent action would continue against those involved in drug smuggling and illegal supply chains operating in the region.