Srinagar, Jan 6 (IANS) The police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district said on Tuesday that it achieved a major success by intercepting a truck carrying contraband heroin worth lakhs of rupees and the driver of the vehicle has also been arrested in connection with the case, officials said.

A police statement said, “In a major success reflecting its sustained crackdown on the drug menace, Pulwama Police today intercepted a truck during naka checking at Litter, leading to the recovery of a substantial quantity of heroin-like substance worth lakhs of rupees in the international market.”

“During the operation, a truck bearing registration number JK22B-3175 was stopped and searched, resulting in the recovery of 263 grams of heroin-like substance. The driver of the vehicle, Ather Maqbool Ganie, son of Moqbool Ahmad Ganie, resident of Waghama in Bijbehara, was apprehended on the spot,” the statement added.

“The truck involved in the offence has been seized. Accordingly, an FIR in the case under Sections 8/21 of the NDPS Act has been registered at the concerned police station, and investigation has been taken up to ascertain the source and destination of the contraband and to identify other persons involved.”

“Pulwama Police reiterates its firm resolve to eliminate the drug menace and appeals to the public to cooperate by sharing information to keep the society drug-free,” the statement said.

The misuse of drugs has been a serious problem for parents and the government.

De-addiction centres, counselling and psychiatric treatment is being used to treat those affected by the drug abuse while social, political and religious leaders are trying to ensure that the menace is prevented from spreading to other youth.

Drug addiction is defined as out of control use of drugs despite their negative effects.

In recent years Jammu and Kashmir has seen an exponential increase in the drug abuse.

According to official data shared by the Union government in Parliament, the number of people affected by drug abuse in Jammu and Kashmir has reached nearly 10 lakh, which is around eight per cent of the total population of the Union Territory.

–IANS

sq/khz