Opium Peddlers Nabbed in Jharkhand: A Cross-State Drug Trafficking Bust

Four opium peddlers from Uttar Pradesh were arrested in Jharkhand's Palamu district. A vehicle with a fake plate, cash, and phones were confiscated. The peddlers tried to buy opium with Rs 8 lakh paid in advance to producers, posing as traders and altering their vehicle's number plate.

In a significant crackdown on cross-state drug trafficking, four opium peddlers from Uttar Pradesh have been apprehended in Jharkhand's Palamu district, police confirmed on Monday.

Authorities seized a vehicle sporting a fake license plate, alongside Rs 30,000 in cash and mobile phones, from the suspects at Bairia in the Lesliganj police station area on Sunday evening.

The meticulous operation revealed that the smugglers had already paid Rs 8 lakh online to opium growers, under the guise of traders, altering their vehicle's number plate to blend in. The detainees have been identified as Firoz Ahmed Ansari, Abhay Pratap Singh from Bareilly, and Shahnawaz and Irfan from Badaun.

(With inputs from agencies.)