Four alleged members of an international syndicate in the smuggling of controlled drug ephedrine have been arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell. The police claim to have seized from them 370 kg of the narcotic worth Rs.125 crore.
The accused have been identified as Mehboob Khan (68), Arther Frank (42), Krishan Kumar (42) and Sandeep Bansal (36). “Acting on a tip-off that Khan would deliver a consignment of a foreigner in Shakarpur, we laid a trap and arrested him along with Frank, a Nigerian national. While 50 kg of ephedrine was seized from Frank, we found 290 kg in Khan’s possession,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Yadav.
Dubai-based
The officer said during interrogation, the accused said he operated at the behest of one Abu Dada, who is based in Dubai. “Khan and Arther worked as carriers and supplied ephedrine to their clients who smuggled the consignments out to various countries through couriers,” said the officer.
Police probe revealed that on May 31, a key member of the syndicate named Drona had received a consignment from Bansal Pharma at Bhagirath Palace and sent the same to Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. “However, the Nigerian buyer insisted that the delivery be made in Delhi. Accordingly, Drona supplied the stuff to Khan and his associate. We have arrested accused Sandeep Bansal and seized 20 kg of ephedrine from him. Krishan, from whom Sandeep had procured the consignment, has also been arrested from Chandni Chowk,” said the officer.
Overstay
“Khan, a resident of Rampur in U.P., has lived in Dubai for three years. During his stay, he befriended Abu Dada in Sharjah and at his instance, started supplying ephedrine. Abu Dada had introduced him to Frank, who came to India on a tourist visa in 2001 and overstayed. He started supplying heroin. In 2002, he was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau. They were convicted for 10 years. Frank remained in jail till March 2011 and is presently out on bail,” he added.
