4 inter-state drug smugglers held in Mathura, hashish worth Rs 3 crore seized

PTI, Sep 14, 2023, 7:45 PM IST

In a joint operation of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) and local police, four smugglers were arrested on Yamuna Expressway in Mant area here and contraband worth Rs 3 crore was recovered from them, an official said on Thursday.

ANTF Deputy Inspector General Abdul Hameed, said that based on the information, the team, with the help of Mant Police, conducted a thorough search of a car passing through Mant Toll Plaza on the expressway on Wednesday night and found over 50 Kg of hashish behind its bumper. The contraband’s price is estimated to be around Rs 3 crore, he said. The arrested inter-state smugglers have been identified as Noor Ahmed, Noor Alam, Mohammad Shahid and Abid, all residents of Barabanki district, Hameed said. During their interrogation, it was revealed that they used to sell the contraband smuggled from Nepal in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, he said.

The officer said several cases are registered against the accused in Barabanki itself. The car, used in smuggling, and four mobile phones have also been seized from their possession, he said.

A case has been registered against them at Mant police station under relevant sections of the Narcotic-Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and the Indian Penal Code and they have been sent to jail.