Delhi Police busts inter-state drug racket; 4 arrested, 16 kg opium seized

New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) Delhi Police has busted an inter-state drug racket with the arrest of four men carrying 16.24 kg of opium in a car, officials said on Thursday.

The racket was operated from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, and the accused transported high-quality opium for supply in Delhi-NCR, police said.

On July 25, police received a tip-off about the movement of two known suppliers, Hari Shankar and Vikas, who were bringing a large consignment of opium from Bareilly.

Accordingly, a raiding team intercepted a car near the Bhairav Road underpass on the Ring Road at 10.20 pm. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of three plastic bags containing 16.24 kg of opium, a senior police officer said.

Police arrested Hari Shankar (22), Vipin Sharma (35), and Vikas (20) from the spot.

After further probe, a fourth accused in the case believed to a cocaine supplier, Ajay Verma (22), was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district on August 23, the officer said.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused followed the instructions of a Bareilly-based handler named Rahul, who along with his family is suspected to be the main supplier of the seized consignment.

"The group had been in contact with a Nigerian national named Jean, who operated from Tilak Nagar in Delhi before shifting base abroad.

"The racket employed unemployed youth and minors as couriers, and used private vehicles for the movement of consignments to avoid checking. Deliveries were made across Delhi-NCR through multiple layers of contacts," the officer said.

Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the remaining members of the racket, police said. PTI BM ANM ARI