500 kg heroin smuggling by Pak through Gujarat, NIA files supplementary chargesheet
Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Mar, 2022 01:37 PM
New Delhi, March 25 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday said it has filed a supplementary chargesheet against an accused in connection with a 500-kg heroin smuggling case by people based in Dubai. The drug was smuggled through Pakistan-India sea route.
Earlier, 10 accused persons have been chargesheeted in the case. The chargesheet was filed before a Special Court in Ahmedabad.
The case was initially registered by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad in 2018.
The case pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by the accused based in Dubai and Pakistan for smuggling and distribution of 500 kg of illegal narcotic heroin from Pakistan to Gujarat through the sea route.
This heroin was brought by Pakistani nationals in a Pakistani fishing vessel and was delivered in the Indian territorial waters near Jakhau Port in Kutch.
The NIA had re-registered the case on July 2, 2020.
The accused Shahid Kasam Surma was a close associate of earlier accused persons -- Arshad Razak Sota and Rafik Adam Sumra -- who have been absconding since committing the crime.
Surma had stored, transported and delivered 495 kg of the 500 kg of drugs received from Pakistan to Amritsar, Punjab, through his associates.
A red corner notice was issued against him by the Interpol. He was later deported from Dubai and arrested in this case.
Dr Vikas Maurya, Director and HOD, Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, told IANS that "there are some ongoing conversations around the much-anticipated third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, but I think as India is a large country, we can talk of state-specific waves".
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of New India has failed and all the slogans of the Prime Minister have only been rhetoric and now the country needs a new vision which can revive the economy.
In his remarks at the virtual event, the Chief Minister said the mission will unleash Punjab's growth potential and create a thriving economy by generating jobs and inviting investment.
The two drug suppliers have been identified as Balwinder Singh of Sarangwal Hoshiarpur village and Peter Masih of Basti Danishmanda locality in Jalandhar. Peter already faces two criminal cases.
Fulfilling a major poll promise, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday launched the enhanced social security pension of Rs 1,500 per month, a threefold increase from Rs 500 earlier given by the SAD-BJP alliance government.
