Four other CISF cops arrested in opium siphoning case

VARANASI: Four other CISF constables were arrested on Saturday for their involvement in opium siphoning episode at the Government Opium Alkaloid Works (GOAW).
During investigation, the involvement of four CISF constables, VC Balunayak, B BHaskar, K Satish Kumar and Hassan Deen, came to light. IG Range RP Singh on Saturday informed that all those constables had been arrested after recording their statements."Balunayak and Bhaskar have also given their confessional statements in writing under Section 67 of NDPS Act," said the IG adding the arrested constables revealed that the malpractice had been continuing at GOAW for a long time. During each incident of opium theft from GOAW, each of them used to get Rs 40,000-Rs 50,000.
"Tushar, who surrendered in the court on March 12, has been sent on three days' police remand by the court," said the IG. With Saturday's arrest, the total number of people sent behind bars in this episode has reached 12. Five arrested persons have already been sent in police remand for interrogation. During interrogation in remand period, he said, the police recovered two mobile phones and 10 seals of GOAW. The IG said orders had been given to check the bank accounts and other assets of arrested persons to initiate action for freezing them.
The large-scale siphoning had been exposed on February 29 when the Jaitpura police had raided a house and recovered 25 containers full of 558 kg of raw heroin by arresting four persons including a CISF constable while one identified as Tushar alias Babu had managed to escape. On the very next day police arrested had two more persons from Ghazipur in this connection. The incident brought the Narcotics Control Bureau of India, CISF and GOAW top officials on their toes. After this recovery, when the stock verification exercise started at GOAW in the presence of a circle officer of police and videographer, 27 more opium containers were found missing. After that the police intensified investigations.
Meanwhile, though the director general of police has already announced a cash award of Rs 20,000 for the Jaitpura police team after they had succeeded in recovering huge quantity of opium by arresting four persons on February 29, recommendations have been made to Narcotics Control Bureau of India to give cash award of Rs 10 lakh to this police team for its achievement. IG Range RP Singh said recommendations were also being made to police headquarters for out-of-term promotion of each member of the same police team.
Kingpin on verge of arrest?
Varanasi: With the progress in police investigation in the case of opium siphoning, not only the management of GOAW has come under scanner but the police have also identified the kingpin of the racket responsible for opium theft from the factory for a long time to prepare heroin locally and supply it to different parts of the country as well as abroad.
The progress in police investigation has enabled the investigators to reach close to the kingpin of the racket Suman, who is also known as 'Doctor' due to his expertise in making heroin from opium. IG Range RP Singh said the police raids were being conducted at his suspected hideouts and units while his arrest was also expected in a day or two. He said Suman's arrest would help in knowing whom were being supplied the heroin.
The arrests made so far are mainly of persons who were involved in theft of opium from GOAW to Suman, he said. Munna, who had already been arrested from Jaitpura, was the leader of the racket. Who provided the chemicals required for formulating heroin from opium would also become clear after Suman's arrest, the IG said. The interrogation with arrested persons had helped in knowing the names of their seven other accomplices, including four from Varanasi and four of Ghazipur, said IG. "Efforts are being made to arrest them," he added.
The progress in police investigation is also bringing the management of GOAW under scanner. The IG said according to forensic science laboratory, the 558 kg opium recovered by the police was of superior quality but the GOAW had shown that the missing 52 container contained opium of poor quality that had to be destroyed. In 2010, the factory management had shown that a huge quantity of opium had been eaten by monkeys, said IG.
During the videography, he said, the poor maintenance of GOAW campus, boundary walls and buildings had also been exposed. The rear boundary wall of this highly sensitive factory was kept just five-six ft high, he said. When the police started investigations, the height of such boundary wall was increased to 20 ft. Keeping these facts and ground realities in view apart from seeking all the annual inspection report of CISF, orders have also been issued to identify those internal staff and officials of GOAW who were the part of nexus of drug peddlers and CISF personnel, he said.