Punjab hospitals using Ambulances to smuggle drugs from J&K, 19 held

Action against hospital owners being considered: SSP Singh

JAMMU: Following the leads that some hospitals in Punjab are using their ambulances for carrying the consignments of drugs and other contrabands from Jammu and Kashmir to rest of the states of India, the State Police has launched a massive manhunt and claims to have secured the arrest of 19 drugs smugglers in and around the Jammu city.
The crackdown started on the disclosure of seven persons including a driver of the ambulance belonging to a Punjab hospital who were arrested in Nagrota area the other day while transporting heroine, along with three other vehicles seized.
Sources said that on the disclosure of the arrested persons, Jammu police arrested the kingpin of the drugs smuggler from Kathua area and on his further disclosure, police managed to secure the arrest of 12 more persons in and around the Jammu city on Tuesday.
“Twelve drugs smugglers have been arrested today on the disclosure of the arrested accused persons. These include eight from Domana area and four from Gandhi Nagar area,” said SSP Jammu Tejinder Singh, adding, strategy is being chalked out to round up the owners of the hospitals whether in Punjab and other states who used their ambulances to carry the contrabands.
It is pertinent to mention here that ambulances are barely intercepted by police during naka checking on the grounds that the vehicles are being used for emergency services.
“It is taking the advantage of this leniency, that some hospitals started using their ambulances for smuggling of the narcotic substances,” a police officer said.
The police came to know about the interstate drug nexus when men in khakhi at Nagrota intercepted an Ambulance of Punjab hospital bearing registration number PB02CQ 6663 which was on way to Punjab with Heroin consignments.
The driver of the ambulance identified as Tajinder Singh alias Punjabi of Amritsar was arrested on the spot along with six more drugs smugglers namely Bharigu Sharma of Nanak Nagar, Ashok Chib of Ghou Manhasa, Sunil Kumar of Bhadrore, Pouni Chak, Salman Sajjad of Umar Mohalla, Kishtwar and Satnam Singh of camp Gole Gujral, Jammu.
Three more vehicles—a Range Rover (DL1CU/5922), a Hyundai Creta (JK02CU/6186) and a Maruti Wagon R (JK17/4908) were also seized on the spot as during their frisking, police recovered 110 gram Heroin and Rs 2,27,000 in cash.