Police in Uttarakhand have arrested three members of an inter-district drug trafficking gang who were smuggling ganja by posing as tourists and using a taxi. More than 66 kilograms of ganja was recovered during the operation carried out in Ranikhet area of Almora district.
The action was taken as part of an intensified drive against narcotics trafficking in the hill regions, launched under the direction of Senior Superintendent of Police Devendra Peencha. On Monday, a police team led by Ranikhet Kotwali in-charge Bhuvan Joshi was conducting a checking campaign on the Khairna–Ranikhet State Highway near the Panyali area when a taxi bearing registration number UP 23 BT 0365 was stopped for inspection.
During the search, police found large quantities of ganja packed in sacks and bags placed on the roof of the taxi. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused were attempting to mislead law enforcement by travelling as tourists.
The arrested accused have been identified as Vikas, son of Ajay Singh, resident of Kharmasa village, Kashipur; Anmol Singh, son of Brian Singh, resident of Rampura locality, Kashipur; and Jaspal Singh, son of Vikram Singh, resident of Pratappur No. 7 village under Nanakmatta police station. All three belong to Udham Singh Nagar district.
According to Kotwali in-charge Bhuvan Joshi, the accused were transporting the ganja from Saraikhet towards Moradabad. He stated that the suspects were already involved in drug trafficking activities in the hill areas, and further investigation is underway to ascertain from where the narcotic substance was collected and whether other members of the network are involved.
The police team involved in the operation included Sub-Inspector Brijmohan Bhatt, SOG head constable Avdhesh Kumar, constables Kamal Goswami, Devendra Singh and Manoj Karayat. Police officials said strict action will continue against drug trafficking networks to curb the spread of narcotics in Uttarakhand’s mountainous regions.
