KARACHI, March 15: The substance found in eight drums seized by police from an Edhi ambulance on Feb 29 on a tip-off by the Edhi Foundation has tested positive as heroin, police said on Thursday.

The drums contained 200 kilograms of the substance, samples of which had been sent to the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) in Karachi and Islamabad for tests.

Quoting the report issued by the PCSIR, SSP-South Naeem Shaikh said the result confirmed the substance as crude heroin.

Saying that the drums had been sealed after taking the samples, SSP Shaikh clarified that it was estimated that the substance weighed over 200kg, based upon the fact that the weight of the consignment including the drums was around 241kg.

SHO Zafar Iqbal of the Kharadar police station said at the time of the seizure police had arrested three men, including an Edhi ambulance driver.

He said the suspect, Habib Khan, during initial investigation revealed that he picked up the substance from Mawachh Goth and wanted to bring it to the city. The SHO did not disclose the specific location where the consignment was supposed to be delivered as, the police said, they were still working on the case.

A case (FIR 93/2012) was registered against the suspects under the anti-narcotics law at the Kharadar police station on behalf of the state.

Anwar Kazmi, a spokesman for the Edhi Foundation, said the recovery was made on the information of the foundation.

He said the driver had absconded with the Edhi ambulance (EA-3941) on Feb 29. Edhi volunteers intercepted the vehicle near Machhar Colony and took the driver with his two accomplices to Edhi’s Tower Centre for further inquiries.

Later, all the three with the eight drums of the substance were handed over to the police, Mr Kazmi said.

The suspects were identified as Edhi driver Habib Khan, Gul Zurab Khan and Faqeer Muhammad, while the fourth accomplice, identified as Asghar, was declared absconder.