Jammu/Banihal, Mar 15 (PTI) Five suspected inter-state narcotics smugglers were arrested along with a huge quantity of contraband by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force here on Tuesday, an official said.

The smugglers – three residents of Punjab and two Kashmiris – were arrested after a truck and a private car were intercepted by the ANTF sleuths on a specific input near Transport yard Narwal in the outskirts of Jammu, he said.

Also Read | Samsung Galaxy F23 5G Smartphone To Go on Sale Tomorrow at 12 PM Via Flipkart.

He said 160 kg of poppy husk, which was being smuggled from the Kashmir Valley to Punjab, was recovered during search of the vehicles.

A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered against the arrested narcotic dealers, the official said and identified the arrested persons as Bashir Ahmad Dar of Charar-e-Sharief (Budgam), Javid Ahmad of Pulwama, Dalip Singh of Jalandhar, Paramjeet Singh and Hanook Singh of Ferozpur (Punjab).

Also Read | iQoo Z6 5G Smartphone To Be Launched in India Tomorrow; Expected Prices, Features & Specifications.

During initial investigation, the official said it has been found that these narco-dealers were using fake registration number on the truck to dodge the police.

“The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) is investigating the forward and backward links of this consignment and more arrests are expected,” he said.

Meanwhile, police foiled a narcotics smuggling bid at Banihal on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway with the recovery of 90 kg of poppy straw from a Punjab-bound truck on Tuesday, officials said.

The driver of the truck, Irshad Itoo of Kulgam, was arrested and booked under the NDPS Act, they said.

In another incident, they said truck driver Angrez Kumar of Reasi was arrested under the NDPS Act after four kg poppy straw was recovered from his vehicle in Banihal.

PTI CORR/TAS

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)