Chandigarh, Oct 25 (PTI) Punjab Police on Friday said it had put under detention a top drug smuggler for two years using special provisions under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act.
The detainee was identified as Avtar Singh alias Tari of Shahur Kalan, a border village in Gurdaspur district.
This is the first instance of preventive detention in which orders have been issued by the competent authority under Section 3 (1) and Section 10 of PIT-NDPS Act, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said.
Section 3 of the PIT-NDPS Act empowers the government to take drug smugglers into preventive custody to prevent them from engaging in illicit traffic of narcotics.
“This marks Punjab’s first successful use of the stringent provisions of the PIT-NDPS Act, which allows for preventive detention in narcotics-related cases,” Yadav said.
The DGP said Tari has been detained under PIT-NDPS Act for two years and sent to Central Jail-Bathinda.
Tari was involved in smuggling 231 kg of heroin and had been actively involved in drug business with Pakistan-based smugglers, police said.
The accused has in the past been convicted and sentenced in two cases, they said. PTI CHS VN VN
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