Acting on a tip-off, Indian customs officials carried out ‘special frisking’ of some suspected passengers traveling aboard the trans-border Samjhauta Express, when the train arrived from Pakistan at the Attari railway station on Monday, the search operatio resulted in the recovery of some 14 kgs of heroin.
The heroin, being smuggled into the country from Pakistan, was seized and four passengers arrested for allegedly carrying the contraband, having a street value of Rs 70 crore, officials said in Amritsar on Tuesday.
All those arrested are Indians and include two women, identified as Saddiqiquan, of Muzaffarnagar and Bundila while the males were Akhtar Abbas and Ali Baksh, residents of Bulandshahr. The four had traveled to Pakistan on January 19.
During the interrogation, they said that the consignment of heroin was given to them at the Lahore railway station to deliver to a person who would contact to them on reaching India, according to customs officials.
The four are being questioned to extract information about the persons who were to collect the consignment on the Indian side, they said.
Barabanki, Bulandshahr and Muzaffarnagar – all in Uttar Pradesh - are known to be strategic feeder points on the country’s drug map.
With international agencies repeatedly pointing out towards a vital link between drug-trade in the sub-continent and terrorism, the security agencies are sure to probe every possible angle.
After the November 26 terror attacks in Mumbai, Indian security agencies have enhanced frisking at the Attari railway station and the Attari check post on the land transit route.
The heroin, being smuggled into the country from Pakistan, was seized and four passengers arrested for allegedly carrying the contraband, having a street value of Rs 70 crore, officials said in Amritsar on Tuesday.
All those arrested are Indians and include two women, identified as Saddiqiquan, of Muzaffarnagar and Bundila while the males were Akhtar Abbas and Ali Baksh, residents of Bulandshahr. The four had traveled to Pakistan on January 19.
During the interrogation, they said that the consignment of heroin was given to them at the Lahore railway station to deliver to a person who would contact to them on reaching India, according to customs officials.
The four are being questioned to extract information about the persons who were to collect the consignment on the Indian side, they said.
Barabanki, Bulandshahr and Muzaffarnagar – all in Uttar Pradesh - are known to be strategic feeder points on the country’s drug map.
With international agencies repeatedly pointing out towards a vital link between drug-trade in the sub-continent and terrorism, the security agencies are sure to probe every possible angle.
After the November 26 terror attacks in Mumbai, Indian security agencies have enhanced frisking at the Attari railway station and the Attari check post on the land transit route.
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