538 kgs of poppy seized, 5 smugglers held in J-K's Ramban

Two bids to smuggle narcotics substances were foiled by police Friday with the arrest of five men and recovery of over 500 kgs of poppy in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district, officials said.

Acting on a specific information about smuggling of poppy from South Kashmir to Punjab, a special police party was deployed on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Chanderkote here, a police officer said.

During search of the vehicles, one truck carrying apples was intercepted and thoroughly checked, he said, adding during the process of search, 531 kgs of poppy was recovered and seized.

The narcotics was kept hidden between apple boxes, he said.

Truck driver Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Punjab, has been arrested and the vehicle seized, the officer said.

A case has been registered in this connection.

Another police party intercepted a car at a checkpoint on highway near Shaitani nallah and during checking of the vehicle, seven kgs of poppy was recovered from its gas cylinder, he said.

Police arrested four persons who were in the car - Balwinder Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Harjinder Singh, Surinder Singh, all residents of Hoisharpur (Punjab), the officer said, adding vehicle has been seized.

A case has been registered against them, he said.