New Delhi, Jul 20 (IANS): Delhi Police has busted a drug racket and arrested five persons, including two Afghan nationals, from south Delhi's Zakir Nagar, seizing 150 kgs of Afghan heroin worth Rs 600 crore in the international market.
Shinwari Rehmat,30, and Akhtar Mohammad Shinwari, 31, are Afghan nationals, while their other accomplices identified as Vakeel Ahmed, 36, Raees Khan, 43, and Dheeraj, 21, worked for them in Delhi.
"The accused used luxury cars to supply Afghan heroin in the national capital. Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Toyota Altis, Toyota Corolla cars were also seized from the accused," Deputy Commissioner of Police Manishi Chandra said.
"A team of Special Cell during separate raids on Wednesday and Thursday initially arrested Dheeraj, a native of Haryana and Raees Khan, a resident of Maharani Bagh when they assembled at Ashram flyover with 60 kgs of heroin," the DCP said.
"On interrogation, the accused disclosed the names of two Afghan nationals, Shinwari Rehmat and Akhtar Mohammad Shinwari and they were arrested from their hideout in Zakir Nagar with another 60 kgs heroin. They were found to be chemical and mechanical experts", he added.
"Apart from the Afghan nationals, another accused, Vakeel Ahmed was found who had just finished loading his car with 30 kgs of Afghan heroin," the officer added.
"At a site in Zakir Nagar, a huge amount of preparatory and precursor chemical agents, solutions and implements etc. were also found. Also, a semi-industrial set up of relatively sophisticated design was found almost operational. The entire premises were sealed," he added.
"Vakeel Ahmed disclosed that with the expertise gained by years of clandestine operations, the Af-Pak drug cartels have recently adopted this novel modus operandi whereby crude heroin is dissolved in a preservative solution and ordinary jute bags, meant for carrying various kinds of spices and condiments, are soaked and dried in this heroin solution," he added.
Indian masterminds of the syndicate have been identified and efforts are on to nab them, Chandra said.