Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 13: Delhi Police have dismantled an interstate narcotics trafficking network by seizing 765.6 kg of ganja valued at nearly Rs 2.30 crore and arresting four alleged members of the syndicate after a multi-state operation spanning more than 36 hours.
The operation, conducted under the Centre's 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan', involved coordinated surveillance and tracking across Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab, leading to the arrest of the accused and the recovery of a massive quantity of contraband.
According to police, the Anti-Narcotics Squad of Delhi's Outer District received specific intelligence on June 20 regarding the movement of narcotics. Acting on the information, a special team led by Inspector Virender Sindhu and supervised by the ACP (Operations) launched a targeted operation to intercept those involved.
The first breakthrough came near Madhuban Chowk in Pitampura, where police apprehended Ashok Kumar (40), a resident of Delhi's Shakurpur area, while he was carrying two bags.
After a forensic examination at the spot, officers recovered 22.610 kg of ganja, following which a case was registered under Section 20(C) of the NDPS Act at Rani Bagh Police Station. Ashok Kumar was taken into custody and the contraband seized.
During interrogation, Ashok allegedly revealed details of a much larger consignment weighing 285 kg, which had earlier been transported in a truck. Investigators also found that he had previously been arrested in a similar NDPS case in Haryana's Gurugram district involving the recovery of another 285 kg of ganja.
Further questioning led investigators to an alleged supplier operating under the name Ajeet Singh. Financial analysis and technical surveillance later identified him as Inderjeet Ray, a resident of Patna, Bihar, who was allegedly using the alias while coordinating drug shipments.
Police teams tracked Inderjeet Ray from July 9, monitoring his movements continuously across several states before arresting him and his associate Nitish Kumar from a hotel in Ludhiana, Punjab, on July 10.
The accused subsequently disclosed that a large stock of ganja had been stored in a rented warehouse in Jamalpur, Ludhiana.
Acting on the information, police raided the premises and recovered an additional 743 kg of ganja. During the operation, another suspect, Dharmender Kumar, a resident of Jamalpur, was arrested for his alleged role in the trafficking network.
With the latest recovery, the total seizure in the case stands at 765.6 kg of ganja, which police estimate to be worth around Rs 2.30 crore in the illegal market.
Investigators believe the warehouse was being used as a distribution hub, where bulk consignments were stored before being supplied to various locations across Punjab and Haryana.
Police said efforts are continuing to identify other members of the interstate syndicate and uncover the complete supply chain, including the origin and intended destinations of the seized narcotics.