Gujarat ATS Seizes Heroine Worth Rs 15 Crore, Arrests Two

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested two people and seized five kilograms of heroin worth Rs 15 crore from them.

On Sunday, the ATS nabbed Aziz Abdul Bhagad from Salaya in Devbhoomi Dwarka district and seized five packets of heroin from his possession, each weighing one kilogram. His interrogation led to the arrest of Arif Adam Sumra from Mandvi in Kutch district.

Sumra, during his questioning, revealed that about four months ago, 100 packets of heroin landed at Mandvi, while five packets landed at Salaya. The 100 packets were then transported to Punjab by truck, top sources in the police department stated.

According to official sources, there is evidence and intelligence input to prove that terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) masterminded the landing of the drug consignment at the two locations in Gujarat.

The investigation also revealed that the seized heroin was just a fraction of the contraband smuggled into India through Gujarat about four months ago.

The consignment was moved from Bahawalpur to Gwadar port in Pakistan by a man named Aziz, who packed it into 105 packets. It was then loaded on to vessels and finally transferred to Indian fishing trawlers in international waters. While five packets were transferred to a trawler headed for Salaya, 100 were put on a trawler from Mandvi in Kutch.

State home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja on Monday said the state government would embark on a drive in school and colleges to check the use of banned substances, including drugs and narcotics. “The target is not students of schools and colleges but suppliers of such substances,” he said.

Director general of police Shivanand Jha said the Special Operations Group of various districts would carry out a drive against narcotics under the supervision of the ATS. He said there were indications that drug peddlers were working closely with terrorist organisations to push narcotics into the state and various enforcement agencies were working together to ensure that the borders were completely safeguarded.