Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Oct 7: In a significant operation, the Mangaluru City Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested a Nigerian national residing in Bengaluru and seized 6.310 kg of MDMA, a narcotic substance, valued at Rs 6 crore. This arrest is part of the ongoing effort to make Mangaluru a ‘Drugs-Free’ zone.

The operation followed the arrest of Haider Ali (51), a resident of Chembugudde, Mangaluru, who was caught selling narcotics at a lodge near Pumpwell on September 29. The police seized 15 grams of MDMA worth Rs 75,000 from him. The case was handed over to the CCB for further investigation.

During the investigation, the CCB officers uncovered information about drug peddlers supplying Haider. Their probe led to Peter Ikedi Belonwu, a 38-year-old Nigerian national residing in Bengaluru. Acting on this information, the CCB raided his rented house in Dommasandra, Bengaluru, and seized a total of 6.310 kg of MDMA, three mobile phones, a digital weighing scale, 35 ATM/debit cards, 17 inactive SIM cards, and 10 bank account passbooks. The total value of the seized goods is estimated to be Rs 6,00,63,500.

Belonwu has a prior drug-related case registered against him in Bengaluru’s Vidyaranyapura police station in 2023. He was reportedly involved in supplying drugs to various parts of Bengaluru, Karnataka, and Kerala. The investigation into other individuals connected to this drug ring is ongoing.

This successful operation was carried out under the guidance of police commissioner Anupam Agarwal IPS, with the leadership of deputy commissioners of police Siddharth Goyal IPS (Law and Order) and B P Dinesh Kumar KSPS (crime and traffic), and supervision by CCB ACP Manoj Kumar Naik. The team included inspectors Shyam Sundar H M, PSI Sudeep M V, Sharannappa Bhandari, Narendra, ASIs Mohan K V, Ram Poojary, Sheenappa, Sujan Shetty, and other CCB personnel.