Delhi: Cannabis smuggled in train pantry, 2 arrested

New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI) Two bike taxi riders were arrested in Dwarka for allegedly smuggling high-quality cannabis from West Bengal to Delhi, using the pantry car of trains to conceal the drugs in luggage, an official said on Wednesday.

A total of 28.781 kilograms of cannabis, concealed in luggage, was recovered from Manju Husain and Rakib Miyan, both 24, during a raid near the BSES office in Sector 18, Dwarka, on June 9. Manju and Rakib, from Noida’s Sarfabad area and originally from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar, respectively, worked as bike taxi riders in Noida.

“The duo was part of a larger interstate drug syndicate that had been smuggling ganja in bulk from Cooch Behar and transporting it to Delhi-NCR by stashing it in luggage that travelled discreetly via the pantry cars of long-distance trains,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said.

He added that the contraband was distributed to local buyers, particularly in areas like Noida and Uttam Nagar.

Following inputs, both men were apprehended with two heavily packed bags filled with cannabis on June 9, the officer added.

The haul comes weeks after another significant seizure in May, when the same team recovered 176.996 kilograms of cannabis and arrested three accused in a separate case registered at the Dwarka North Police Station.

The current case has been registered under the NDPS Act at the Dwarka North police station, and further investigations are underway to trace the remaining members of the syndicate, including those responsible for placing the contraband in the pantry cars and the receivers based in Delhi-NCR.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that this was the men’s first involvement in a narcotics case. “Their clean criminal record and use of legitimate cover as app-based bike taxi riders helped them evade suspicion,” the DCP added.

Meanwhile, efforts are on to identify railway route handlers and to dismantle the entire network operating between West Bengal and Delhi. PTI SSJ SSJ MPL MPL