Contraband worth over Rs 1 crore found hidden under steel coils, truck driver held in Gujarat

On the night of October 8, a joint operation between the Special Operations Group and the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Ahmedabad Rural Police resulted in the seizure of 696.940 kg of poppy straw, worth around Rs 1.45 crore. This significant haul was uncovered under a truck-trailer transporting the contraband from Nagpur to Sanand, Gujarat. The operation was triggered by confidential intel indicating the presence of an intoxicating narcotic substance concealed beneath a load of steel coils.

The team monitored the truck's movements closely, anticipating its passage along the Kheda-Dholka Highway. Upon reaching the designated spot, the tarpaulin concealing the steel coils was lifted, revealing 36 black and yellow plastic sacks containing the illicit poppy straw.

The police explained that the truck driver, Bhairaram Ramaram Tarad, originated from Barmer, Rajasthan, and was en route to Sanand with steel coils for a Gujarati firm. However, midway near Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, the consignor loaded sacks of poppy husk into the trailer, hiding them beneath the tarpaulin alongside the steel coils. This deception aimed to make the shipment appear as ordinary industrial cargo, allowing the consignment to be delivered to a receiver in Gujarat for a freight charge of Rs 2,00,000.

Bhairaram Ramaram Tarad, the truck driver, was arrested and booked under sections 8(c), 15(c), and 29 of the NDPS Act. Further legal proceedings are currently underway.