Palamu police crackdown on drug smugglers, seize 35 kg+ narcotics in Operation Prahar
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK Daltonganj, July 31: Palamu Police have intensified their anti-narcotics campaign under Operation Prahar, making two major seizures within…
Palamu SP Kapil Chaudhary briefs mediapersons in Daltonganj, displaying packets of seized cannabis. Two arrested smugglers, with their faces covered, stand behind him.
THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, July 31: Palamu Police have intensified their anti-narcotics campaign under Operation Prahar, making two major seizures within a span of a few hours and arresting four alleged drug smugglers in separate operations carried out on July 29.
The coordinated operations, conducted by the Panki and Satbarwa police stations between Wednesday evening and midnight, resulted in the seizure of more than 35 kg of narcotics, including over 2.5 kg of opium and 33 kg of cannabis, officials said.
Addressing a press conference in Daltonganj on Thursday, Palamu Superintendent of Police Kapil Chaudhary said, “On July 29, Panki Police arrested two persons and recovered a little over 2.5 kg of opium from their possession.”
The arrested accused have been identified as Shahabuddin (45) and Ghulam Mustafa (30). According to the SP, Shahabuddin is a resident of the Pipra Tarhasi police station area, while Mustafa belongs to the Panki police station limits in Palamu district. Both were remanded to judicial custody on July 30.
Police also seized two motorcycles and two mobile phones during the operation. One of the motorcycles bore a Uttar Pradesh registration number.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Mustafa was allegedly the buyer, while Shahabuddin was the supplier of the opium.
“During interrogation, the accused told police that the opium had been sourced from Lawalong in neighbouring Chatra district,” the SP said.
The Panki operation was carried out shortly before midnight.
In another significant action under Operation Prahar, Satbarwa Police intercepted a luxury car on the evening of July 29 and recovered more than 33 kg of cannabis concealed inside the vehicle.
Police said the contraband was packed in 45 packets and hidden inside the car’s bonnet and boot (dikki).
Two occupants of the vehicle—Krishna Ram (25) and Dinesh Ram (35), both residents of Rohtas district in Bihar—were arrested and later remanded to judicial custody on July 30.
With these two operations, Palamu Police seized more than 35 kg of illicit narcotics and arrested four persons under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
“We are verifying whether the seized cannabis was being transported from Odisha to Bihar, as those involved in such smuggling often give misleading versions during interrogation,” SP Chaudhary said.
