Monday, 20 November 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Man used to cultivate cannabis on in-laws’ property to make contraband: SSP
The Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) arrested an interstate drug smuggler with 2.47 kilogrammes of charas in Champawat’s Devidhura late on Saturday. The accused has been identified as Rajendra Singh Bora (35), a resident of Nainital’s Surang village, who has confessed to selling charas in plain areas of the State and nearby areas for the past several years.
According to him, he had also been a member of Panchayat in his village, said the superintendent of police of STF Ayush Agrawal. He said that the accused was on the radar of ANTF for several weeks as he was reportedly smuggling charas in various parts of the State. A team of ANTF under the leadership of circle officer of STF Kumaon, Sumit Pandey and inspector in-charge, ANTF, Pavan Swaroop nabbed him from the Devidhura police station area of Champawat district late on Saturday.
The authorities found 2.479 kilogrammes of charas worth about Rs 12 lakh from the possession of the accused. A case has been registered against him in the Devidhura police station under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, as per Agrawal. He said that the accused Bora revealed during interrogation that he used to cultivate cannabis on the property of his in-laws. He reportedly used to extract charas from the cannabis plants and sell it to peddlers of plain areas of the State, the SSP claimed.
Agrawal said that the ANTF Kumaon unit this year has so far recovered 27.412 kilogrammes of charas, 7.91 kilogrammes of opium and 1.39 kilogrammes of smack and took action against 15 people under the NDPS Act. He also appealed to locals to inform authorities to provide any information regarding illegal drugs or smugglers by approaching the nearest police station or contacting STF at 01352656202 and 9412029536.
