Five Pakistani men were caught attempting to smuggle over $24.2 million worth of heroin into India. The men were captured in a fishing boat off the Gujarat coast.
Gujarat Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) arrested the men in a joint operation.
Once on board the fishing boat, the officers discovered thirty-five packets of heroin, weighing a total of 35 kilograms. The Class A drugs were worth approximately 24.2 million US dollars on the international market.
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The five Pakistani men have been identified as Anees Isa Bhatti (30), Ismail Mohammed Kachchi (50), Ashhraf Usman Kutchhi (42), Kareem Abdulla Kutchhi (37) and Abubaqar Ashraf Sumra (55).
The suspects are all residents of Beet Zajeera, Karachi.
How This Ship Went Down
Police officers said that the operation was launched following a tip-off. According to the ATS statement they had received reports of a large shipment of drugs being transported from Pakistan into India.
“The Anti-Terrorism Squad, Gujarat, had got credible information that an illegal consignment of narcotic drugs, heroin, was going to be smuggled into Gujarat through the coast.”
ATS then contacted ICG and launched a joint operation. According to a senior officer, they later received further information that they’re looking for a fishing boat.
“The information further revealed that the consignment is being sent in a Pakistani fishing boat from Pakistan.”
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They were told the smuggler boat was located northwest of Jakhau, so they sent out intercepting boats from the district of Kutch when they discovered.
“Commandos of the marine task force were kept in boats in Indian waters to help in apprehending the smugglers … A suspicious boat was identified at the said location in Indian waters.”
The five Pakistani men were arrested and taken to Kutch police station for interrogation. One officer revealed that all Indian agencies are now involved in the interrogation.
“The interrogation of the apprehended accused persons is in progress jointly by all agencies.”
via DESIBlitz
