Ahmedabad, April 7 Two individuals were arrested for allegedly possessing 5 kg of methamphetamine, estimated to be worth around Rs 25 crore, in the illegal market. They are suspected to have been smuggled into India from Pakistan. The arrests were made in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat, according to officials on Tuesday.
The operation was carried out by the Anti-Terrorist Squads (ATS) of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The arrested individuals, Shankarram Rameshram and Salman Lalakhan, both residents of Rajasthan, were identified in an official statement released by the Gujarat ATS.
A joint team of ATS officials from Gujarat and Rajasthan intercepted a suspicious vehicle on National Highway No. 68 on Monday evening, following a specific tip-off connecting Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to Banaskantha in Gujarat.
Shankarram and Lalakhan, who were traveling in the car, were found to be in possession of a yellow bag containing five packets of a substance.
"A preliminary verification confirmed that the seized substance is the prohibited narcotic drug, methamphetamine. Approximately 5 kg of methamphetamine, estimated to be worth around Rs 25 crore, was seized," the statement said.
The drug was sourced from Pakistan, according to the preliminary investigation by the ATS.
"Methamphetamine was smuggled across the border from Pakistan by a person named Masaat, a resident of the Tharparkar area in Pakistan, and was dropped in the Barmer district of Rajasthan," the statement said.
The accused duo had received the consignment from Barmer and were on their way to deliver it to their associates, it added.
The ATS recovered crucial digital evidence, including WhatsApp chats, call records, and videos from the accused's mobile phones, which could help in obtaining further information about the drug network, police said.
A case has been registered at the Sadar Barmer police station in Rajasthan under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and further legal proceedings have been initiated, they said.
