Notorious criminal wanted for drug trafficking held in Rajasthan

Jaipur, Oct 5 (PTI) A notorious criminal wanted in several cases, including drug trafficking, across multiple states was on Sunday nabbed by the Rajasthan Police near the Indo-Pak border in Jaisalmer, officials said.

The arrest was made early this morning in a joint operation by the state's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF).

According to the officials, the accused Kamlesh, a resident of Barmer's Dhorimanna, was carrying a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head and had been rapidly expanding MD drug network in Rajasthan.

The joint party also recovered over Rs 1 lakh cash from Kamlesh. The money is suspected to be proceeds from the sale of MD drug, they said.

Jaipur IG ATS Vikas Kumar said that the accused, Kamlesh, a resident of Dhorimanna in Barmer, was wanted for several criminal cases across multiple states. He had been under the radar of ATS for his involvement in drug trafficking, particularly in the distribution of MD, a highly addictive substance.

The joint teams had been tracking Kamlesh for the past three days in Barmer and Jaisalmer districts. They finally apprehended him in the Sankad police station area of Jaisalmer, near the Indo-Pak border.

Kamlesh initially ventured into the illegal arms trade before developing addiction to MD drug, he said.

Over time, he became the mastermind behind the thriving MD trade in the border regions of Rajasthan, aided by his brother Suresh, who was closely involved in the operations.

The brothers had even opened a hotel in Jaisalmer from where they were running their drug trade, Kumar said.

Kamlesh had deep criminal ties, and his operations spanned three states. He was arrested multiple times in the past, including in Pune where he was caught with a significant amount of narcotics. It was during his time in Pune jail that he established connections with other major players in the MD trade, IG Kumar said.

The gang operated in a highly organised and corporate-style structure, with various members handling different roles.

Kamlesh's brother Suresh was a key partner in the operation. Other members of the gang included Ramesh, who handled finances and coordination, Mangilal, the factory head and Birju, who managed technical operations. Shiva oversaw the operations while Raju was responsible for raw materials, he said.

The gang initially set up an MD factory in Jodhpur's Kudi area but it was raided before it could begin operations. Later, they established another unit in Barmer's Sedwa area, which was operational but was eventually seized by the police, the officer said.

Kamlesh's rival gang had been unsuccessful in their attempt to infiltrate the MD trade and their leader offered a tip to the ATS, he said. PTI SDA NB NB