AHMEDABAD: The ATS units of Gujarat and Rajasthan launched a joint operation, taking swift action against an international drug trafficking module, intercepting two couriers on NH-68 and seizing methamphetamine worth ₹25 crore.
The breakthrough came after ATS Police Inspector J M Patel received confidential input, triggering a coordinated field response. Teams fanned out and sealed key stretches of National Highway 68, the critical artery linking Jaisalmer to Banaskantha.
Then, right on cue, at around 6 pm on April 6, a suspicious vehicle rolled into the trap, and officers wasted no time in closing in.
During a targeted search, a yellow bag inside the vehicle revealed a cache of suspicious substances, immediately raising red flags. The two occupants, Shankarram Rameshram and Salman Lalakhan, were pulled out and detained on the spot.
The seized substance was confirmed to be methamphetamine, a banned synthetic drug with a staggering street value of nearly ₹25 crore.
But the real story began to unfold during interrogation and it pointed far beyond Indian borders.
Investigators uncovered that the consignment had been dropped in Barmer by a Pakistan-based handler identified as Masat Mubarak, operating out of the Tharparkar region.
The accused had allegedly coordinated the pickup through encrypted communication channels, turning a digital trail into a crucial piece of the puzzle.
WhatsApp chats, call records, and video exchanges retrieved from the accused’s devices have now become key evidence, offering investigators a direct line into the syndicate’s wider network spanning multiple states and even countries.
“ATS PI Jatin Patel received specific intelligence, based on which the vehicle was intercepted on NH-68. Methamphetamine was recovered before it could be delivered. Both accused were arrested on the spot, and further investigation is underway to identify the intended recipients and the full network,” said Gujarat ATS SP K Siddharth, underlining the scale and precision of the operation.
A formal FIR has been registered at Barmer Police Station under stringent sections of the NDPS Act 8, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, and 29.
Now, with two key couriers in custody and a digital trail in hand, agencies are racing against time to map the entire supply chain from Pakistani handlers to Indian receivers.