Following a tip-off that two persons were trying to smuggle opium from Haryana border, the police had set up a check-post on Rajpura-Ambala road. During the operation, the police recovered 4.5 kg of opium from Jagjevan Ram and his accomplice, Kalu. While Jagjevan was immediately arrested, Kalu managed to escape from the spot.

Sources in the police department told Newsline that the gang members were in the trade for the past many years and were selling contraband in Mohali, Nawanshahr, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rajpura. “Since most of the buyers of opium were youth, thus the activities of the gang are of very serious nature,” said sources. |

SHO Rajpura Bikram Brar, who supervised the interrogation of the accused, said that two teams have been dispatched to Ambala from where the accused procured opium. “We conducted raids near Ambala bus stand, following revelations by the accused, but could not arrests anyone as the other members have come to know about the arrest of their associate,” he added.

The police claimed that Kalu, a resident of Ambala, is the key to the whole drug chain.

During preliminary investigations, the police have found that Jagjevan owned a tea stall near a college in Amargarh and used to supply narcotics to students of the college.

Senior police officials stated that the gang procured narcotics from Rajasthan and Haryana and later supplied it to several parts of the state. “The most important part of the investigation is to locate the source of the drug peddlers’ operation,” said officials.