The Punjab Police on Friday said it seized 73 kilograms of heroin from a container at Nhava Sheva port in Maharashtra. It said the seizure was made in a joint operation with the Maharashtra Police.
"The intelligence-led operation regarding the smuggling of heroin from the UAE was carried out jointly by the teams of Punjab Police and Maharashtra Police," Director General of Punjab Police Gaurav Yadav said.
"The contraband was kept concealed in the door-border of the container containing white marble tiles imported by a Delhi-based importer," he said.
The DGP said after concealing the contraband, the accused persons had meticulously welded the door border and repainted it.
Following due procedure and documentation by the Maharashtra Police, the container was opened up which led to the recovery of a big haul of 73 kg of heroin, he said.
Police are carrying out further investigations to ascertain backward and forward linkages, he added.
The Maharashtra Police has registered a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, a statement issued by the Punjab Police said.
According to the statement, the Punjab Police seized 148 kilogram of heroin in the last one week in joint inter-state operations with the help of central agencies.
Earlier in the day, DGP Yadav, in a video message, said, "Continuing our fight against drugs, the Punjab Police achieved another major success today. In a joint operation with the Maharashtra Police, 73 kg of heroin has been recovered in Nhava Sheva port."
He said following inputs, a team of the State Special Operation Cell of the Punjab Police was deputed at the Nhava Sheva Port.
The seizure of this big haul was made by the Punjab Police in less than 72 hours after recovering 75 kilograms of heroin from a container at Mundra Port in Gujarat in a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad on Tuesday.
The Punjab Police chief said the war against drugs will continue.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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