Charas worth Rs 29 lakh seized, 1 held

Consignment was from Jammu; owner of car manages to flee

The Dongri police on Friday seized charas worth Rs 29 lakh and arrested the driver of the car that it was being transported in. The main accused, however, managed to escape.

Police said the drugs were being transported from Jammu. They swung into action after Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) Krishna Prakash received a tip-off.

"We laid a trap at the Wadi Bunder junction. At around 6.30 am, we intercepted a Maruti Xylo. The two occupants of the car — the driver and the passenger — gave evasive answers to questions about their destination. We then asked them to get out of the car. The passenger, who owns the car, fled the scene, while the driver, Umer Amar Sheikh (42), was arrested," said Prakash. A search of the car allegedly revealed 17 packets of charas, weighing aroung 26 kg, hidden under the seats.

Sheikh has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

"The duo started from a hotel in Jammu on Thursday morning. On the way, they halted at Ajmer Sharif. Sheikh was hired to drive the Xylo, a tourist vehicle, by its owner. He claims that he knew nothing about the drugs," Prakash added.

The police are also checking on the antecedents of Sheikh and the car owner. Sheikh is being questioned to find out the source as well as the intended recipient of the drugs. The police suspect that the original consignment was larger, and some of the drugs were sold along the way.

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