3 held in Delhi’s Dwarka for smuggling cannabis via train in trolley bags

New Delhi, Jun 2 (PTI) Three men have been arrested in Delhi’s Dwarka area for allegedly smuggling cannabis into the capital through trolley bags by train to avoid detection and storing it in a rented flat in upscale Vikaspuri area, an official on Monday said.

The accused have been identified as Rajesh (50), a habitual offender previously convicted in multiple NDPS cases; Krishnanand Choudhary (49), the main supplier based in Punjab; and Krishan (32), a local distributor from Najafgarh, the official said.

The three were part of a drug syndicate involved in smuggling cannabis via a network involving Nepal, Bihar, Punjab and Delhi, he added.

Acting on specific intelligence, a raid was conducted near Dwarka Metro Station here on May 23, police said “Rajesh, a resident of Najafgarh, was apprehended with 6.067 kg of cannabis. Based on his disclosures, a further 168.896 kg of ganja was recovered from a flat that he had rented in Vikaspuri, taking the total recovery to 176.996 kg,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Dwarka, Ankit Singh.

Rajesh had previously served a 10-year sentence under the NDPS Act and was out on interim bail since August 2023. He has five prior cases registered against him by the Crime Branch and police in Delhi and Odisha, the DCP said.

Rajesh disclosed during custodial interrogation that the consignment had been sourced from Punjab's Hoshiarpur through Krishnanand Choudhary, who in turn had arranged the cannabis from Bihar, he added.

Choudhary was subsequently arrested from Hoshiarpur on May 26, police said.

He confessed to facilitating the cross-border drug movement via trains and supplying bulk orders in Delhi-NCR, they said.

Further investigation led to the arrest of local dealer Krishan from Indira Market in Najafgarh. A separate recovery of 2.033 kg of cannabis was made from his residence, police said.

The DCP said that a case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered at Dwarka North Police Station.

Further investigation is on and the police teams are working to identify more members of the syndicate and trace the origin of the narcotics supply chain, he added. PTI SSJ AS AS