A team from the Special Detective Unit (SDU) of the Kaithal police busted an inter-state drug trafficking gang by arresting six people allegedly linked to the racket. Police seized 1,928.1 kg of poppy husk, valued at around Rs 3 crore, from a truck and an escorting SUV intercepted on the Delhi-Katra National Highway.
Giving details, DSP Sushil Prakash said the breakthrough came after the SDU received information about a white SUV escorting a truck carrying a large consignment of narcotics from Madhya Pradesh to Punjab. Acting on the tip-off, the SDU set up a naka near Sinand village on the Delhi-Katra National Highway.
When police signalled the SUV to stop, its driver attempted to flee by turning the vehicle around. However, heavy traffic on the highway thwarted the escape attempt, allowing the police team to surround and intercept both vehicles.
The four occupants of the SUV were identified as Ravi Kumar of Patra, Karnail Singh of Marori, Naresh of Nirmalkot (Sadhamajra), and Sukhwinder Singh of Marori, all residents of Patiala district in Punjab. The truck's two occupants were identified as Harvinder Singh of Ratanheri village and Gurjant of Samana, also from Patiala district.
DSP Kalayat Rohtash Kumar later reached the spot, following which police carried out a thorough search of both vehicles.
Police recovered five sacks containing 101 kg of poppy husk from the SUV and 90 sacks containing 1,827.1 kg from the truck. The total recovery from both vehicles was 95 sacks weighing 1,928.1 kg. A case under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act has been registered at Kalayat Police Station.
During preliminary interrogation, the accused told investigators they had procured the narcotics from Madhya Pradesh and were transporting the consignment to Punjab for distribution, DSP Prakash said.
Highlighting the district's crackdown on drug trafficking, DSP Prakash said Kaithal police had registered 111 cases under the NDPS Act in 2026, leading to the arrest of 169 alleged drug smugglers, compared with 59 cases and 105 arrests during the corresponding period in 2025.
"No drug trafficker will be spared," he said.