Alleged drug kingpin held in MP's Satna; state minister denies he is a relative

author-image
NewsDrum Desk
New Update

Satna, Sep 5 (PTI) A man was arrested on Thursday in Madhya Pradesh's Satna rpt Satna district for allegedly operating a drug cartel and smuggling more that Rs 5 crore worth of contraband in the state's Vindh region from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh in the last two years, a police official said.

Shailendra Singh was arrested under Civil Lines police station limits this morning, said additional superintendent of police Vikram Singh Kushwaha.

"Singhpur police had intercepted a pick-up vehicle, coming from Uttar Pradesh, in Satna on July12. A total of 7,200 bottles of cough syrup, which contains codeine phosphate (a narcotic substance) worth Rs 12.25 lakh were seized. ," the additional SP said.

"One Diwakar Patel was arrested at the time, while three persons identified as Badal Singh, Ashok Gautam and Amit Gupta had escaped. Our probe found the kingpin was Shailendra Singh, who had pumped in drugs worth Rs 5.35 crore in the Vindh region from UP in the last two years," Kushwaha informed.

He was charged under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, Drugs Control Act and Section 111 (organised crime) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, the additional SP said.

Meanwhile, MP minister of state for urban development Pratima Bagri refuted claims from some quarters that Shailendra Singh was the husband of her younger sister Priyanka.

"Shailendra Singh is not my relative. My name is unnecessarily being connected to him. He (the accused) is actually Kshatriya by caste. We are not Kshatriya but Bagri. I have nothing to do with him," the minister told PTI.

"Police must take strict action. I will provide all help to police," said Bagri, who is BJP MLA from Raigaon (SC reserved) seat in Satna. PTI COR LAL BNM

Subscribe