5 kg heroin seized in Ludhiana, one arrested

An alleged drug smuggler was arrested and five kg heroin was seized from his possession here today, police said.
The accused has been identified as Ashok Kumar (45) of village Bargal in Akhnoor (Kashmir).
"He is a notorious smuggler. Earlier, he was arrested by the J&K police with 10 kg heroin in 2001. He remained in jail for ten years," said Sneh Deep Sharma, Assistant Inspector General, Special Task Force, Punjab.
Sharma further said that during the preliminary investigations the accused revealed that the contraband came from across the border near Rajouri.
"He has links with the smugglers of Pakistan and he was actively involved in the smuggling of heroin for the last many years," he said.

The heroin was seized from a car bearing a J&K registration number, near village Panjeta on Ludhiana- Machiwara road, about 30 kms from here.
The STF recovered the packets of heroin from inside a bag of Basmati rice lying in the car after the vehicle was intercepted, Sharma said.
A case has been registered and further investigations were in progress, he added.