Army jawan among four held with 103kg ganja in Jhalawar dist

Jaipur: Police in Jhalawar arrested four people, including an Army jawan, for their alleged role in smuggling narcotics Wednesday.

SP (Jhalawar) Amit Kumar said the accused were identified as Piru Lal Malviya, posted as an Army jawan, Anwar alias Annu Zafar, Zahir Khan, and Vinod Sharma. Police intercepted a truck near Dudhalia check-post and seized 103.6kg of ganja. Two men, Khan and Sharma, were caught from the truck, while another car escorting the vehicle was also stopped, leading to the arrest of Malviya and Anwar. An Indian Army identity card was recovered from Malviya, which was allegedly used to bypass checks and alert accomplices at check-points. A case under the NDPS Act was registered, and further investigation is in progress.

Officials said narcotics traffickers have begun adopting tactics similar to liquor smugglers by deploying escort vehicles. These smaller and faster vehicles, often SUVs or motorcycles, travel ahead of the main truck to monitor police barriers and warn the smugglers. "The scouts alert the main vehicle via phone or signals, allowing it to reroute or stop if a checkpoint is detected," said an official.

Sources said that at times escort vehicles create diversions to distract police from the main consignment. "They engage in reckless driving or commit minor violations to draw police attention, giving the primary vehicle a chance to slip through," said another official. Police noted that such tactics have also been observed in cattle smuggling operations in the state.