Retd Army Captain’s son, accomplice held with 360 kg poppy straw

With the arrest of two alleged drug traffickers, including the son of a retired Army Captain, the Delhi Police have recovered around 360 kg of poppy straw. The contraband was allegedly procured from Bareilley and was about to be dispatched to Punjab, police said on Wednesday.

The accused were identified as Kulwant Singh (51) and Rohit Prakash (30), both residents of Delhi.

The police also recovered a Mahindra SUV from the duo, with an Army sticker on its windshield, which allegedly helped them access police pickets quite easily. They also kept changing the number plate of the vehicle to avoid getting tracked, said a senior police official.

“During interrogation, Kulwant Singh disclosed that his father Resham Singh had retired as Captain from the Indian Army, after which he started working as building contractor. After the demise of his father, Kulwant fell into bad company and to maintain his lavish lifestyle, he started smuggling opium and poppy straw,” said the senior official. He added that Kulwant Singh often used to travel with his wife and son to avoid police checking. He had hired the other accused, Rohit Prakash, for loading and unloading of the contraband. Singh was previously involved in Narcotics cases reported in Punjab.