Gujarat: Two held in heroin seizure case

AHMEDABAD: Two men from the Kutch district were arrested for their alleged involvement in receiving and transporting 38kg of heroin seized by the Punjab police on August 27.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) nabbed Khamisa Jat and Hamda Harun Jat from Lakkhi village in Lakhpat taluka of Kutch on Tuesday and brought them to the ATS headquarters in Chharodi for questioning.
During their preliminary questioning at the ATS office, the duo claimed the heroin was sent by Pakistan-based drug dealer Gul Mohammad, stated an official release by the ATS.
They will be handed over to the Punjab police for further investigation, said the ATS statement.
The Punjab police seized 38kg of heroin on August 27 from a truck in Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar and arrested Kulwinder Ram and Bittu Singh, the ATS said.
The narcotics substance was hidden in the toolbox of the vehicle.
The two accused from Punjab named Kulwinder Ram and Bittu Singh had allegedly admitted to having brought the contraband from Bhuj town in Kutch district. They were charged under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) act.
"Punjab police contacted the Gujarat ATS and shared technical details about these two men from Kutch. Call detail records analysed by the Punjab police revealed that they were in touch with the arrested accused and were also involved in taking the delivery of drugs and in sending it to Punjab by road," said an ATS officer
Based on the inputs provided by the Punjab police, Gujarat ATS nabbed Umar Khamisa and Hamda Harun from Lakkhi village.
Punjab police officers recently said that the seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra have emerged as new hotspots to smuggle drugs into the country. The Punjab police have seized at least 185.5kg of heroin smuggled via these seaports in the last two months.
In a joint operation with Gujarat ATS on July 12, Punjab police seized 75kg of heroin from a container at Mundra port in Gujarat.