Drug gang might have surveyed for buyers in city earlier: police

‘Women being used so as not to raise any suspicion’

The seven-member ‘drug mafia gang’, which allegedly came to deliver heroin and cocaine to the pedlars in the city, might have visited Vijayawada earlier, the police suspect.

Police officers said that the ‘smugglers’ conducted a survey about the buyers earlier and had travelled to Vijayawada to allegedly deliver the drugs.

The Task Force police on Saturday arrested the seven persons allegedly involved in the racket, including five women, of Mumbai, Gujarat, West Bengal, Bangladesh and other places.

Of the five women arrested, three were natives of Bangladesh and entered the country through Malda in West Bengal.

They developed links with smugglers and drug pedlars in different States, including Andhra Pradesh, the police said.

“As the gang members came to Vijayawada on their own without the assistance of any local person, it is confirmed that the smugglers visited the place earlier and conducted a survey on the demand for drugs here. We are enquiring whether the gang visited any other places in the State and contacted drug pedlars,” an investigation officer said.

Police Commissioner Ch. Dwaraka Tirumala Rao said the vehicle which the gang had engaged had Andhra Pradesh registration. Some of the gang members might have travelled by bus or train to Vijayawada, he said.

Call data verification

“We seized 10 cell phones from the smugglers. The call data recordings of the accused will help us to identify their contacts, other smugglers and the information of drug pedlars in A.P., Telangana and other States. We are inquiring deep into the case,” the Police Commissioner said.

Police are trying to find out in which lodge the smugglers took accommodation during their previous visit to Andhra Pradesh, and whom they had contacted and other details.

Investigation officers are also focussing on the CCTV footages of vital points in the city.

Smugglers are using women to avoid police and complete their operation easily, the police said.

Earlier, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials said that gold smugglers were using women for illegally transporting the yellow metal easily as this would not raise any suspicion among the police and immigration officials at the airport and other check points.