3 held for inter-state smuggling of drugs using Ambulance, fake patient

Chandigarh: The Mohali Police has busted an inter-state drug smuggling racket and recovered 8 kg of opium being smuggled using an ambulance on the Ambala-Chandigarh Highway and arrested three accused, Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab said.

The smugglers concealed opium in a pillow placed under the head of a fake patient lying in an ambulance during a special Nakabandi on Ambala-Chandigarh Highway near village Dapper, the police said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ravi Shrivastav aged 28 of Rampur, (UP), presently residing at Ram Darbar in Chandigarh; Harinder Sharma aged 47 of village Naya Gaon in SAS Nagar and Ankush aged 27 of village Khudda Ali Sher in Chandigarh.

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Taking cognisance of the matter related to the arrest of three persons misusing an Ambulance to smuggle drugs, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Ropar Range Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that he will take up this issue with Civil, Health and concerned regulatory authorities.

The DIG said that as the Punjab Police have strict directions from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to root out the drug menace from the state, the Mohali Police have busted an inter-state module which has raised serious concerns about misuse of emergency services.

"This has come to the fore during the investigation that how accused persons had purchased a second-hand Ambulance and started using it for smuggling of drugs," he said.

This was at least the 10-12th time the accused persons have used the ambulance to smuggle opium from Bareilly, reveals the investigations.

Besides taking up the matter with all the authorities concerned, DIG Bhullar said that he has also asked all the three SSPs in the range to hold meetings with representatives of all the Hospitals and NGOs in their concerned districts and get the list of Ambulances assigned to them so that the police could provide safe passage to genuine patients while nabbing the anti-social elements using the Emergency Services for criminal activities.

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He also suggested using a special beacon on top of the ambulance which could signify whether there was a patient in the Ambulance or not.

Divulging more details about the drugs recoveries in his Range since April 1, 2022, the DIG said that they have recovered a total of 2.41Kg Heroin, 20.42 Kg Opium, 2.10 quintal poppy husk, 200grams charas, 7.29Kg Ganja, 40945 intoxicant injections, 870590 intoxicant tablets besides seizing drug money worth Rs 8.08 lakhs.

He said that the Police have registered a total of 211 FIRs including 14 commercial after arresting 307 drug smugglers/suppliers. The Police have also arrested 11 Proclaimed Offenders, he added.

Meanwhile, Bhullar said that the war against drugs waged by Punjab CM will continue till the drug menace is not wiped out from the state.