An international drug syndicate has been smashed by the Delhi Police Special Cell with the arrest of six persons, including a Uttar Pradesh political leader and two foreign nationals, and purported seizure of heroin and hashish consignments.
A probe into the module was launched after the police received a specific tip-off about some persons involved in drug peddling. They intercepted a vehicle in the Delhi Cantonment in which the suspects were transporting a drug consignment on October 12.
“Anil Pratap Singh Chauhan (50) and Arun Kumar (46) were arrested with 1.5 kg of heroin,” said a police officer, adding that the syndicate was being run by Anil Pratap, who has been in the business for the past 20 years.
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The accused belongs to Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh where opium is cultivated legally. “He was associated with a political party from 2007 to January this year. He had also attempted to fight the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, but was finally denied a ticket. The accused was arrested in Faridabad, Haryana, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 1998,” said the officer.
The third to be arrested in Gurgaon was P. Mary Zelem (49) from whom the police allegedly seized 510 gm of heroin. Police investigations revealed that Mary had a large network of supply and distribution of heroin to her contacts living abroad. In 1989, she had married Canadian national Peter Zelem (63) who was also in the same business and procured the stuff from an Afghani national in whose house Mary earlier worked as a domestic help. The year they were married, Peter and a German national were arrested for allegedly possessing cocaine in Defence Colony.
The officer said Peter has been suffering from third stage cancer of the bladder and severe cardiac problems for the past two-three years and is bed ridden. It is alleged that his wife now handles the business and receives supplies from Anil Pratap and Raju Diwakar (42), the fourth accused.
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“ Raju Diwakar was arrested on Monday and 510 gm seized from him. The next day, we arrested two Nigerian nationals Alex Emechebe (38) and Alloy Frank Michael (31). One kg of heroin was seized and 6.2 kg of hashish was found neatly concealed inside covers of 60 books besides a parcel meant to be dispatched to Canada as disclosed by the accused,” said the officer.
According to the police, the Nigerian nationals had in the past sent many such parcels to England, France, Germany, Canada and other countries. Alex had come to India about two years ago and overstayed, whereas Alloy came about a year ago and had also overstayed.
Anil Pratap procured crude heroin from Hari Singh, a resident of Rajasthan. “Arun Kumar, who belongs to Madhya Pradesh, knows how to process crude heroin which was being done in Anil Anil Pratap’s Ghaziabad house. The module dispatched the consignments abroad wrapped in black carbon papers to escape X-ray scanners at airports.”
The police said accused Raju earlier worked with alleged drug lord Sharafat Sheikh, a resident of Nizamuddin who has also been booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.
“Raju has also worked with Afghan drug supplier Rahees Khan, who is presently lodged in jail,” said the officer.