Making its biggest seizure of drugs so far this year, the Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested four persons allegedly involved in the supply of drugs entering the country through the Indo-Pak border, and seized contraband worth Rs.100 core in the international market.
The arrested persons include Karim – the alleged head of a Mumbai-based network of a larger trans-national drug syndicate involved in mass trafficking of high value narcotics across Kuwait, Dubai, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Sri Lanka, said police officials.
The alleged kingpin of the racket is based in Kuwait and in the last few months, 14 members of the network – including a Jammu and Kashmir Police constable – have been arrested by the Cell. According to the police, the network receives support from terror groups based in Pakistan.
The three others arrested are Mohammed Sajid Zubair, Noushad Abdul Rahiman and Abdul Sattar alias Sheru. The police zeroed in on members of the Mumbai-based network with the help of revelations made by Shurbir, Raghmeet and Autar Singh, who were arrested last year.
“Sources were deployed to identify members of this cartel and to keep a watch over their movements,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) S.N. Shrivastava.
It was on May 20 that the police received a tip-off that two members of this cartel, who had picked up a consignment of drugs from near the Attari border, would be in Delhi – a transit point on their way back to Mumbai.
“We laid a trap and Zubair and Rahiman, who were carrying 16 kg of heroine and 9 kg of crude meth, were arrested at Sarai Kale Khan. We interrogated the two and they revealed that they were acting on behalf of the syndicate headed by Karim who is based in Trombay, Mumbai. It was also learnt that one Sheru (alias name) was the main assistant to Karim,” said Mr. Shrivastava.
The police’s effort to trace Karim did not succeed initially as he was not found at the Mumbai address provided by Zubair and Rahiman. However, when Zubair and Rahiman did not return with the consignment, Karim and his associate Sheru got suspicious and left for Delhi. The police received a tip-off about this, and when the two arrived at the Punjabi Bagh roundabout to receive another consignment, they were arrested.
“In the forenoon hours, when Karim and Sheru arrived near the said location, they were identified by Noushad and Sajid and were swiftly apprehended by the team. A total of 5 kg of fine quality heroin was recovered from their possession,” said Mr. Shrivastava.
The drugs supplied by the network, once after it makes its way to the Capital, are sent to Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Sri Lanka through different networks.
