Delhi Police bust inter-state drug syndicate, three held

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) The Delhi Police has busted a drug syndicate with the arrest of three persons, including a peddler and a supplier, and seized more than 100 grams of smack from their possession, officials said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police laid a trap near the Laxmi Nagar railway bridge close to Akshardham Metro Station on August 28 and nabbed Talha Azhar alias Chintu (22), a resident of Badaun, with 94.53 grams of smack.

A case was registered at Mandawli police station under the NDPS Act, and an investigation was taken up, the police said.

During interrogation, Azhar revealed that he sourced the contraband from Azam Ali (23), also a resident of Badaun, and supplied it to Pradeep Kumar Pal (33), a resident of Mandawli in Delhi.

Following this lead, Pal was arrested on August 30, and 23.22 grams of smack was recovered from his possession.

Police said further raids led to the arrest of Azam Ali, the key supplier of the network, from Badaun. Preliminary investigation revealed that Ali had been supplying psychotropic substances from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi for local distribution.

Explaining their modus operandi, officials said Azhar, who earlier ran a fruit stall in Patparganj, took to drug trafficking after incurring business losses and began sourcing smack from Ali. He later teamed up with Pal, who sold the contraband in pouches to addicts in East Delhi.

Police said the syndicate operated purely for financial gain, exploiting vulnerable sections of society to make quick money from the illegal trade. Pal has previous involvement in two criminal cases, police added. PTI SSJ HIG HIG