Pakistani Haji Salim group behind the heroin consignment caught at Kochi: NCB

According to the NCB in a joint operation with the Indian Navy had seized an Iranian boat with 200 kg heroin on board, worth over Rs. 1200 crores. The heroin consignment was heading towards Sri Lanka.

Ernakulam: The Pakistan-based notorious smuggling gang, Haji Salim group was involved in the heroin smuggling case which was thwarted by the NCB and Indian Navy near Kochi, said Narcotics Control Bureau Deputy Director Genera (Operations), Sanjay Kumar Singh said on Saturday.

In a joint operation, the Indian Navy and Narcotics Control Bureau had seized an Iranian boat with 200 kg heroin on board, worth over Rs. 1200 crores. The heroin consignment was heading towards Sri Lanka, the NCB official said.

The smuggling gang was planning to shift the consignment into a Sri Lankan boat at mid-sea when they were intercepted by the Indian Navy. The Navy, however, could not trace the Sri Lankan boat which had come to pick up the consignment.

The official said as per the preliminary investigation, the heroin was produced in Afghanistan. The official said there are several drug smuggling cases booked against the Haji Salim group and some of the gang members were earlier arrested in the coastal waters of Kochi.

The official said all the six members arrested from the boat were Iranian nationals. Preliminary investigation suggested there were Pakistan nationals along with Iranians on board. He said satellite phones were also seized from the accused. Sanjay Kumar Singh came to Kochi as part of the investigation of the case.