PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Haldwani
With the authorities continuing to act to check illicit drugs trade under the Drugs Free Devbhumi campaign, a man was arrested in Haldwani with about two kilogrammes of charas with a reported market value of Rs 12 lakh. The Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Special Task Force (STF) and the local police conducted joint action which resulted in the arrest of the man accused of smuggling the contraband on Saturday. The action was taken on the instructions of STF senior superintendent of police Navneet Bhullar, supervised by circle officer Parvez Ali and led by inspector in-charge Pawan Swaroop. The police team arrested Narayan Singh Pargain (58) from near the Haldwani degree college with the contraband. The accused is a native of Kukna village in Okhalkanda area of Nainital district.
According to the police, during questioning, the accused said that he had bought the charas from a village in Champawat district and had travelled here to sell it for profit. He had earlier been sent to jail in a similar case of smuggling narcotics and reverted to the activity again after securing bail. STF officials said that during questioning, Pargain had also revealed the names of other persons involved in the smuggling of contraband. Then authorities are probing the leads provided by the accused. The criminal history of the accused is also being checked, they added.
Meanwhile, Bhullar has appealed to the public to stay away from substance abuse and to inform the STF or the nearest police station in case they come to know about the smuggling of narcotics.
