Jammu, February 9 The questioning of an accused arrested in a case involving counterfeit currency led to the seizure of cocaine worth over Rs 19 crore in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Monday.
On February 3, a written complaint was lodged at the Bari Brahmana police station by a branch manager of Punjab National Bank, regarding the depositing of fake currency notes.
The bank official had alleged that Dil Mohd, a resident of Digiana Ashram, had deposited fake currency notes with a face value of Rs 9,000, a police spokesman said.
He said that an investigation was launched after registering an FIR under relevant sections of the Banking Regulation Act at the Bari Brahmana police station. During the investigation, police obtained bank account statements of the accused, who is currently residing in the Jalalabad locality of Sunjwan in Jammu.
Examination of the accounts revealed balances of approximately Rs 18 lakh in J&K Bank and Rs 2.40 lakh in PNB, the spokesman said, adding that a special investigation team was set up by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Samba to ascertain the source of the bank balances, given that the accused was working as a driver.
During questioning, he said, the accused disclosed that he had been selling cocaine for a long time and had earned the said amount through drug trafficking.
Police recovered two packets of cocaine, weighing approximately 1937.80 grams, wrapped in cardboard and sealed with tape, hidden in the garage at his workplace in Bari Brahmana, the spokesman said, adding that relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act were included in the case.
More arrests and recoveries are expected following the disclosure of the arrested drug peddler, he said.
Meanwhile, two drug peddlers were arrested along with approximately 55 grams of heroin during vehicle checks at Chenani in the Udhampur district this morning, the spokesman said.
He said that the arrested accused were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar in a car when they were intercepted by police, leading to the recovery of the narcotic substance.