Rajasthan: 55 kg opium husk seized, trafficker held

Jodhpur, Nov 11 (PTI) The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in Rajasthan seized 544 kilograms of illegal doda post (opium husk), a stolen SUV, 35 live cartridges and multiple fake number plates in a joint operation with Jodhpur Police.

ANTF IG Vikas Kumar said on Tuesday that the operation was carried out jointly by the Jodhpur City and Jodhpur Rural ANTF units after the team received inputs about a large consignment of drugs being transported in the region.

Acting on the tip-off, the team tracked the suspected SUV for nearly 20 kilometres.

"As police teams closed in, the traffickers tried to ram the police vehicle several times. Our teams managed to intercept them, forcing the accused off the main road and into a densely vegetated area," Kumar said.

The vehicle which the accused were in eventually crashed into an electric pole. One of the traffickers allegedly pointed a pistol at the police team in an attempt to threaten them, but officers managed to apprehend him before he could flee.

The second accused escaped under the cover of darkness.

A total of 544 kilograms of doda post packed in 27 sacks was recovered from the vehicle.

Officials also seized 35 live cartridges, an empty pistol magazine, and six fake high-security number plates bearing registration numbers from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala and Gujarat.

"The accused used to change number plates every 50-60 km to avoid identification," the IG said.

Police found that the vehicle's engine and chassis numbers had been completely tampered with. The accused confessed that they used stolen vehicles for smuggling to avoid evidence in case of interception, officials said.

The arrested trafficker was identified as Gokal Ram, a resident of Barmer district. Preliminary investigation revealed that Gokal Ram had been involved in illegal trade for over 15 years and had multiple criminal cases registered against him.

After dropping out of school in Class 6, he initially became involved in liquor smuggling between 2011 and 2015, transporting illicit consignments from Haryana to Gujarat. Several of his trucks, each carrying 800 to 1,000 cartons of liquor, were seized in Churu, Jaipur and Balotra during that period, officials noted.

He was arrested several times in connection with those cases and later turned to drug trafficking for higher profits. PTI SDA MPL MPL