When Samjhauta Express from Pakistan slowly chugged into Attari Railway Station in Punjab some seven years ago, there was no way the customs officials could have realized that it was carrying contraband enough to derail youth in the State.
It was business as usual on May 8, 2006, when the train from Pakistan arrived at 2.30- 3.00 pm. The customs officials at that time were busy with their routine checks, when suddenly Inspector Customs Satish Chander’s attention was drawn to two Pakistani nationals, later identified as Fatima Bibi and her sister Mumtaz.
After immigration clearance, both reported for customs clearance. But, they appeared to be nervous and uncomfortable, which raised suspicion in Chander’s mind. Their baggage was checked before “personal search” was carried out by Inspector Neena Sood.
The result was astounding. Contraband was concealed by one of them in her under-garment; and by the other in black coloured hair band. It was also found in the cavity of sandals worn by both of them. The “contents of brown powder” were later found to be heroin.
This was not the end of it! Pakistan’s hand in pumping drugs into India became all the more apparent in supplementary statements recorded on May 10, 2006.
Fatima Bibi stated that her mother Rashidan was known to another Pakistani national Rasheed who prepared her, sister Mumtaz and mother Rashidan as sawari or carrier. In defence, the two examined Rasheed, lodged at Amritsar Central Jail at that time. In his cross-examination, Rasheed stated, “I take the responsibility of heroin allegedly recovered from Fatima Bibi, Mumtaz, as it was given by me”.
Taking up their case on March 26, 2013, the Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the Trial Court’s order of their conviction and sentence of 10 and a half years’ imprisonment in the drug trafficking case — may not be the first one against Pakistani nationals. But, it came as a confirmation of sorts regarding Pakistan’s hand in drug trafficking.
Information available with the intelligence agencies suggested that the pilferage of contraband from Pakistan border has registered a hike during past year or so. Investigations carried out by Punjab Police also reveal the modus operandi of pushing drugs using plastic pipes through the barbed wire fence across the border.
State’s Special Operation Cell was successful in carrying out recoveries from the border districts of Punjab, Amritsar in particular. Statistically speaking, it seized 476 kg heroin from 2005 to October last year.
THE ROUTE
The police said that large quantity of drugs is finding its way into Punjab not only from Pakistan but also from neighbouring states. As far drug trade is concerned, Malwa belt continues to be dominant area. The government official admits that four border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Ferozepur are at increased risk of drug menace with Tarn Taran being most affected rural district and Amritsar being its urban counterpart.
As per records, smack mainly comes from Pakistan and Nepal. But the regular supply of narcotics like opium, poppy-husk, smack, ganja and charas are smuggled into state from Delhi, Meerut, Sardulgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
A senior government official claimed, “Punjab remains vulnerable because of its proximity to Golden Crescent – Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran as the fake currency and drugs are being transited through India, of which 40 per cent is transited through Punjab alone.”
PUNJAB— A TRANSIT POINT
Punjab, because of its location, has also become a transit point for drugs sent to different parts of the country and also to overseas markets. Estimates suggest 40 per cent of drugs transited to the West via India travel through Punjab. Costing about Rsone lakh per kg in Pakistan, it is received in Punjab at Rs10 lakh. It is sold at Rsfive crore per kg in the international market.
lAND OF DRUGS
No one really has an idea regarding the extent of the problem of drug de-addition in the state. The recent multi-crore drug haul, involving India’s boxing star Vijender Singh, was not enough to have a dope about the scourge eating into Punjab’s youth.
When the Congress national leader Rahul Gandhi pointed that seven out of 10 youngsters were addicted to drugs in Punjab during his post-assembly election visit, the ruling SAD-BJP combine was quick to refute his assertions as “totally illogical, erroneous, politically-motivated and a deliberate conspiracy to tarnish the image of Punjabi youth and an onslaught on their dignity”.
While finding fault with Rahul Gandhi’s statement, the State G overnment some how forget about its own “State disaster management plan” for 2010-11.
Citing “drug addiction” under the “hazard” category and dubbed the threat as “grievous”, the Plan stated, “Punjab's grievous drug problem was revealed recently in a report by Guru Nanak Dev University in Punjab's largest city, Amritsar, which declared that some 73.5 per cent of the state's youth between 16 and 35 years were confirmed drug addicts”.
The menace’s astonishing extent was admitted by the government before the Punjab and Haryana Court, in an affidavit some three years ago, claiming that 67 per cent of rural households in State have at least one drug addict.