New Delhi: In two separate operations, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested six persons including a woman, and recovered drugs valued at over Rs 85 crore in the international market, an official said on Saturday.
Also, Rs 7.5 lakh — identified as hawala money, was recovered from the accused.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Lakhpat Singh (43), Suresh (24), Prakash Puri (39), all residents of Uttar Pradesh; Dal Chand (36), a resident of Uttarakhand; Taslima Begum (38), a resident of Assam, and Ravi Prakash (34), a resident of Delhi.
Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal said that in the first operation on April 23, the police received information about the arrival of Lakhpat and Suresh in a truck at Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar around 10 a.m.
Their purpose was to deliver opium to one of Chand’s associates.
“Following the tip-off, a raid was organised, and both individuals were apprehended,” the police officer said.
Based on the information provided by the accused, the police team proceeded to Kichha in Uttarakhand, where they apprehended Chand, a pivotal member of the drug cartel.
“Subsequently, another key member of the syndicate, Puri, was arrested in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, and a sum of Rs 7.5 lakh was seized from his residence,” said Dhaliwal.
During the investigation, Lakhpat admitted to engaging in drug trafficking for approximately five to six years. He revealed that on Chand’s instructions, he procured the seized opium from suppliers based in Jharkhand. The consignments were collected from various locations in Jharkhand and skillfully hidden amidst bags of coconuts.
“Chand, in his disclosure statement, divulged that he received the opium from individuals named Lallan and Bhanu, both residents of Jharkhand. He would then distribute the narcotics to local contacts in Delhi/NCR, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, and other regions. Chand further revealed that he facilitated hawala transactions through Puri to transfer funds to his suppliers,” said the Special CP.
In another operation, police received specific inputs regarding a woman hailing from Assam, who was reportedly involved in drug trafficking.
“It was alleged that she would arrive near Shakur Basti Railway Station to deliver heroin to an individual identified as Ravi. A trap was laid and both were apprehended,” said the Special CP.
(IANS)
