Driver from PoK arrested for carrying narcotics across LoC

SRINAGAR: Two persons, including a driver belonging to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir region, have been arrested for allegedly smuggling narcotic substance from across the Line of Control on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad trade route, police said today.

"The driver - Anayat Hussain, a resident of Muzaffarabad, has been arrested following the recovery of narcotics substance on Friday," said Suhail Mir, Superintendent of Police, Baramulla.

Mir said the local trader Zahoor Ahmad Malla, who was to receive the consignment, has also been taken into custody.

"A case under Section 8/21 of NDPS Act has been registered against the duo and the investigations are on," he said.

Authorities on Friday recovered 305 packets of suspected contraband substance from an orange-ladden truck coming from PoK on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Road.

Mir said the seized contraband has been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory for a detailed examination.

"The security officials during routine checking of goods imported from PoK at Salamabad Trade Facilitation Centre in Uri stumbled upon few packets suspected to be Brown Sugar in a box of oranges in one of the vehicles," he said.

"During detailed checks of other boxes, the officials found four to five packets of about 10 grams each in every orange box," Mir said.

All the 22 vehicles which came from PoK on Friday are still at Salamabad trade facilitation centre in Uri while the 29 trucks from Indian side are held up in Chakoti on other side of the LoC.