Five suspected drug peddlers arrested in J-K

Five suspected drug peddlers were arrested and a large quantity of poppy straw and heroin seized in separate operations in Jammu and Ramban districts of the state on Sunday, police said.

Gurmail Singh, alias Sonu, and Sukhdev Singh, both residents of Punjab, were arrested after 80 kg poppy straw was recovered from their possession during checking in Banihal town along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, an official said.

He said the suspected smugglers had brought the consignment from the valley by train but were nabbed at a railway crossing.

Mohammad Iqbal, a resident of Baramulla, was arrested after 20 kg poppy straw was found in his truck during vehicle checking at T-Chowk in Banihal in the early hours of the day, the official said.

He said two more drug peddlers, Mohammad Shaheen of Anantnag and Sharief Mohamnmad of Jammu, were arrested after 30 gm of heroin was found in their possession at the Nagrota bypass near here.

All five were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and are being questioned, the official added.