Pramesh S Jain
In one of the city’s biggest coordinated anti-narcotics operations in recent weeks,the Bengaluru City Police arrested 17 drug peddlers,including one foreign national, 10 persons from other states (including a woman),and six local residents,and seized narcotics estimated value of the seized contraband is Rs.30.58 crore.
City police commissioner,Seemant Kumar Singh,said that the coordinated operations were carried out by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) along with police teams from Chamarajpet,Koramangala,Banaswadi,Whitefield, Malleshwaram and Pulakeshinagar police stations based on intelligence inputs received over the past several days regarding drug trafficking across the city.
Police seized 13.135 kg of MDMA,181.3 grams of cocaine,15 grams of heroin,59.322 kg of ganja,7 kg of opium and 225 grams of mephedrone.
They also recovered six mobile phones,a car and a two-wheeler allegedly used in the drug trade.
He said that the CCB alone accounted for narcotics worth nearly Rs.14 crore in the overall seizures.
MDMA concealed in chudidar intercepted
In one of the major breakthroughs,the CCB’s Anti-Narcotics Wing arrested Sahil Kumar, Satyam, Kaleem and Kannayya after intercepting a consignment of 12.925 kg of MDMA and 60 grams of cocaine worth about ₹26.6 lakh.
Investigators said the accused had allegedly procured the MDMA from a Nigerian national operating from Delhi and were attempting to transport it to Bengaluru by concealing the contraband inside a churidar garment.
The operation was launched based on leads obtained during the earlier arrests of Victor and Moses,police said.
Rajasthan supply chain busted:
In another case,CCB officers arrested Lumburam and Anup Ram,who were allegedly sourcing narcotics from Rajasthan.
Police recovered 7 kg of opium and 225 grams of mephedrone from them.Police said cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act against the accused.
During interrogation,the arrested persons allegedly confessed to purchasing narcotics from unidentified suppliers abroad,other states and within Karnataka at low prices and selling them at higher rates in Bengaluru, particularly targeting the general public and college students.
Police said efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the larger network of suppliers behind the racket.
All 17 accused have been produced before the jurisdictional courts and remanded to judicial custody, while further investigation is in progress.
