Punjab seeks J&K’s help as drugs replace liquor in election ‘largesse’

Part of contraband may be originating from PoK

8 coordinated check posts laid in Kathua

JAMMU: As narcotic drugs and other psychotropic substances replace liquor as the traditional poll-time 'largesse', the Police in election bound neighbouring state of Punjab has sought help of their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts to check outbound supply of drugs.
At Jammu and Kashmir's exit point and Punjab's entry point the Police from both states have laid eight coordinated checking points to watch transport of drugs. Under this drive six quintals of poppy husk was recently seized at Lakhanpur transit point.
If sources are to be believed the drug haul that is making way to election bound Punjab could be traced to as far back as into Pakistan occupied Kashmir as Kupwara Police have made massive recoveries from close to the Line of Control. On the way, the Kulgam Police in South Kashmir has seized six trucks carrying poppy straw for its possible onward supply in Punjab. The District Police in Kupwara have arrested eight persons and recovered contraband consignments which include 1.5 kg of Brown Sugar, one kg of Heroine and 500 gms of Charas from the possession of the arrested persons.
SSP Kupwara Shamsheer Hussain said that initial investigation revealed that four narcotic smugglers who have been arrested from Karnah near zero line of LoC along with contraband consignments used to smuggles narcotic substances from across the LoC and then sell the same at different locations of the country. From their possessions so far special team has recovered one Kg each of Heroine and Brown Sugar which is having value of crores of rupees in the international market. Meanwhile, close to 400 people have been arrested and drugs, liquor and cash worth Rs 58 crore seized in Punjab after the model code of conduct came into force even as no link has been established so far between the recovery and any political party or person.
"Total recovery in the state, which includes cash, liquor, drugs, gold and other items, goes about Rs 58 crore," Punjab Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) V K Bhawra said in Chandigarh today.
He said among the seizure by the agencies - BSF, NCB and the police - include 5 kg heroin, 1,800 kg poppy husk, 127 kg opium in the state and 394 persons have been arrested under the NDPS Act.
Bhawra, who is also the nodal officer for the state election, said a huge quantity of seizures of contraband was also made by neighbouring states in coordination with the Punjab police.
The ADGP said Jammu and Kashmir police have seized 1,000 kg poppy husk near Lakhanpur and the supply was meant for Punjab. In addition, Rajasthan police also seized 475 kg of poppy husk.
When asked whether law enforcement agencies have been able to link the seizure of drugs, liquor and cash with any political party or person, Bhawra said police was trying to find out the source of recovery.
"The follow up at micro level has not been done...We will try to ascertain the source of the recovery be it liquor, drugs or cash. It is a long drawn process and it takes months," he said.
Notably, in past, political parties had expressed concern over the misuse of drugs, liquor and cash to influence voters during the Punjab assembly polls.
Bhawra said a meeting of inter-state police coordination took place today in which top cops and other senior police officials of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, UT Chandigarh and Jammu and Kashmir participated.
In the meeting, it was decided that there would be an effective sealing of borders with other states by putting up check posts and maintaining round-the-clock vigil to check transportation of illegal items, including drugs.
"The borders will be sealed effectively 72 hours before polls," he said.
On the deposit of licensed weapons, Bhawra said 3.19 lakh weapons have been deposited which make up to 85 per cent of total licensed arms in the state.
He further said that 409 unlicensed weapons, including pistols, have been seized during checking of vehicles at several places in the state.