3 arrested with 310 kg of poppy in J-K

Three people were arrested and 310 kilograms of poppy seized in separate incidents here on Saturday, police said.

In the first incident, a Maruti Alto car was intercepted by police at Suketar. Two bags of poppy husk weighing approximately 30 kilograms were found inside the vehicle during a search, they said.

The car was seized and the driver, identified as MohdShafi Mir, and his associate Fayaz Ahmed, both residents of Pahalgam, were taken into custody, they said.

In another incident, a party of Udhampur police recovered 279 kilograms of poppy from a truck intercepted at Zero Morh in Chenani following a tip-off, officials said.

The truck driver abandoned his vehicle and fled from the spot when he saw the police party, they said, adding that a manhunt has been launched to nab him.

In the third incident, one kilogram of poppy was recovered from another truck intercepted near Satsang Ashram on the Jammu-Pathankot highway at Vijaypur during a surprise check carried out by police.

The poppy was hidden beneath the driver's seat during the checking, the police said.

The truck driver, identified as Ashok Kumar, a resident of Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, was arrested on the spot and his vehicle seized, they added.

Cases have been registered against all the accused.