Police dismantles int’l drug syndicate, 7 operatives held
NEW DELHI: Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled a narco-syndicate operating across multiple states and arrested seven key operatives, including three Nepalese nationals, an official said on Wednesday.
The operation led to seizure of above 17 kilograms of ‘charas’ (hashish) worth approximately Rs 8.75 crore in the international market, police said.
The syndicate was supplying ‘charas’ from Nepal and Kasol (Himachal Pradesh) to Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastva said the “operation was initiated following a tip off on November 20 regarding the supply of hashish in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila area”.
“A police team arrested two suspects -- Prem Thapa and Md Jameel -- recovering 1.192 kg of charas from them. Subsequently, an FIR was registered and further investigation was launched,” he added.
The senior police official said the interrogation of the arrested suspects led to identification and arrest of other key operatives.
Ganga Gurung Thapa, a Nepalese national, was apprehended in Wazirabad with 712 grams of charas. Further searches at her residence resulted in the recovery of an additional 13.766 kg of drug, police said.
Based on Thapa’s disclosures, the police arrested Ankit Budha, a Nepalese resident of Kasol, who was supplying drug to the syndicate.
Another accused, Pradeep Kumar from Haryana, was arrested for distributing ‘charas’ to the drug users in Faridabad and Ballabhgarh.
The operation also led to the arrest of Manjeet from Punjab’s Kharar. He was caught while transporting 1.856 kg of drug hidden in the stepney of his SUV. He was on his way to deliver the contraband to Moti Lal in Jaipur who was also arrested. Both Manjeet and Moti Lal have previous drug-related cases against them, police said.
The investigation revealed that ‘charas’ was smuggled from Nepal and Himachal Pradesh through well-organised routes, with local traffickers acting as middlemen, they said.
The accused were involved in interstate drug distribution, making deliveries to various states using different modes of transport. Further investigation is underway, police said.
