3,100 kg poppy husk seized after encounter in Ludhiana

Ludhiana: The Jamalpur police of Ludhiana Commissionerate have seized over 3,100 kg of illegal poppy husk after an encounter with smugglers in Khaira Betvillage. It is alleged that the drug peddlers fired at the police to flee from the spot. Retaliating, the police also fired back. However, the accused managed to escape, leaving their vehicles at the spot.The poppy husk was stuffed in 155 bags. The police have also sized a trucks, a mini truck and three SUVs from the spot. It is alleged that the accused were unloading the sacks of poppy husk from the truck and were to load in the other vehicles, when the police reached there.Deputy commissioner of police (rural) Jaskiranjit Singh Teja said the Jamalpur police had got a tip-off that a huge drug consignment was being smuggled from other states into Ludhiana. On the basis of the tip-off, the police reached Humbran Road near Phagla village bus stop, from where the consignment was to be smuggled further.The DCP added that as the police team reached there, they noticed about 10-12 persons unloading sacks from a truck and were loading those onto the other vehicles. On seeing the police, the accused tried to escape. The cops gave them a chase when two of the accused, who were in a Mahindra Scorpio, fired at the police personnel. The accused fired at least four times after which the cops fired back. However, nobody suffered any bullet injury. Meanwhile, the accused lost control over the SUV they were driving that crashed into the wall of a gurdwara in Khehra Bet village. But before the police could nab them, the accused ran away. Teja said that the police had recovered 155 bags of poppy husk weighing 3,100 kg from the crime spot. Out of these, 120 sacks were found in the truck and the remaining from the other vehicles. The official added that the police were trying to identify the accused involved. An FIR against unidentified drug peddlers has been lodged under various sections of the Arms act, and Section 109 (attempt to murder) of the BNS.