An inter-State drug racket was busted when three domestic helpers were allegedly caught selling marijuana on the roadside at ITC Colony, Jeevanahalli, on Thursday by the Pulakeshinagar police.
The trio, identified as Prema, 25, Sunitha, 35, and Muthyalamma, 45, were allegedly caught red-handed with a bag containing plastic packets of marijuana.
An initial probe revealed that two of the accused are from Odisha. The accused worked as domestic help at houses during the day, and after work, they would allegedly peddle drugs in the city, according to the police.
Though the accused confessed that they started peddling drugs a few days ago to earn some money, the police suspect that they are part of a racket.
Further probe revealed that Muthyalamma’s son Darshan was arrested by the police a few months ago. After the arrest, Muthyalamma from Bengaluru took over the business and roped in Prema and Sunitha from Odisha through her source to peddle drugs, and avoid attention, said the police. The police recovered 7 kg of marijuana.
Drug smugglers employing women
The police said that ever since the city police stepped up surveillance against drug peddling, different methods are being employed to push drugs into the market. Employing women to peddle drugs is one of the modus operandi to avoid attention, a police officer said. Such cases have come to the fore even at the international level.
The DRI officials in May caught a 38-year-old woman from West Africa and recovered 2 kg of cocaine worth ₹30 crore, which she had concealed in her specially designed trolley bag. Inquiries revealed that she was a mule for an international drug racket, directed to hand over the package to a man waiting for her outside the airport after confirming the code.
She was offered a week’s stay at a star hotel, apart from to and fro tickets, and a hefty amount in return for her clean record, the officials said.
On February 20, a 33-year-old Indian woman was caught carrying 2.5 kg of cocaine worth ₹30 crore. She was offered money, free to and fro air tickets, and hotel stay in return for handing over the consignment.
Earlier this year in January, the DRI officials caught a 40-year-old woman from the South-West coast of Africa after she landed at KIA from Guinea via Dubai, and recovered 58 capsules of cocaine weighing 686 grams and worth ₹7 crore from her stomach.
