Rajasthan: Drug smuggling gang busted; seven arrested

Jaipur, Aug 27 (IANS) Rajasthan Police has cracked down hard on drug smuggling by busting two major networks in Jhalawar district.

In a series of swift actions, police arrested seven accused, including an Indian Army jawan, and seized large quantities of ganja and synthetic drug MDMA worth lakhs of rupees.

Acting on the directions of Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar, the Dag police intercepted a truck laden with iron rods. On thorough checking, the team discovered 103.600 kg of ganja concealed under the rods.

The truck driver, Zaheer Khan (35), and his aide Vinod Sharma (28), both residents of Jhalawar, were arrested.

Meanwhile, police also intercepted a luxury car that was escorting the consignment. Pirulal Malviya (34), a native of Rajgarh (Madhya Pradesh) currently living in Jhalawar, and Anwar alias Annu (29), a resident of Jhalawar, were caught.

Police recovered an Indian Army ID card from Malviya, which he allegedly used to evade blockades and alert fellow smugglers.

A manhunt is underway for other members of the racket. In another operation, the Jhalawar police, while patrolling, stopped an unnumbered Ford EcoSport car and recovered 1.57 grams of MDMA.

The three arrested were identified as Imran alias Ashu Paya (26), Kalu alias Sheikh Shahrukh (27), and Azhar (28) - all residents of Ramganj Mandi, Kota.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they had struck a deal to purchase 100 grams of MDMA from Parmanand Gurjar alias Panda, for which they had already paid an advance of Rs 45,000.

On spotting the police, Parmanand fled the scene. Efforts are on to nab the absconding smuggler. These successful operations were jointly executed by the District Special Team and local police.

The Dag police operation was led by Circle Officer Jaiprakash Atal and SHO Vasudev Singh, while the synthetic drugs raid was conducted under Circle Officer Harshraj Singh Khareda and SHO Harlal Meena.

--IANS

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