Lankans held for sapphire smuggling in India

Jammu and Kashmir Police busted an international network of sapphire smuggling in Kishtwar district of the Jammu region in India with the arrest of three Sri Lankans their local accomplice.

Senior Superintendent of Police Kishtwar Bhim Sen Tuti told The Hindu that the network was broken after the police acted on a tip-off that three Sri Lankan nationals had come to the area to smuggle out the world-famous sapphire extracted there. "High quality blue sapphire worth lakhs of rupees was recovered from their possession. They had brought it from Sonchan mines at Paddar and were trying to smuggle it out of the area in a car," Tuti said.

The car, he said, was intercepted at Hanjala. The Sri Lankans were identified as Mohammed Ikram, Mohammed Shah Bin Qasim and Akbar Qasim all residents of Beruwala. The accomplice was identified as Ramesh Kumar.

Courtesy: The Hindu