Crime Branch busts interstate drug cartel, seizes heroin worth Rs 17.8 cr

New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled a highly organised interstate narco-syndicate with the arrest of two more key operatives and seizure of high-value contraband.

The total recovery so far amounts to heroin worth approximately Rs 17.80 crore, police said on Tuesday. The crackdown began on June 28, when ANTF arrested Gaurav (24), a resident of Rohini, and recovered 1.4 kg of heroin from his possession.

A case was registered under the NDPS Act, and further investigation revealed that he was sourcing drugs from one Vansh Popat (19).

Despite initial attempts to evade arrest, Popat was apprehended on September 2 in a raid led by SI Yuzvendra Singh and SI Amrendra. Police recovered 26 grams of heroin from him.

His interrogation led investigators to the syndicate’s major supplier, identified as Arslam alias Danish (26), operating from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.

On September 6, a Crime Branch team intercepted Arslam near Milak, Bareilly, while he was travelling in a black Hyundai i20.

A search of the vehicle yielded four packets containing 2.07 kg of heroin each, along with another 50 grams, totalling 2.12 kg.

The car and a scooter used in trafficking were also seized. Police said the accused had created a structured supply chain. Gaurav, a school dropout from a family involved in the illicit liquor trade, began selling smack after meeting Popat in 2023.

Popat, unemployed and from Sultanpuri, expanded into bulk procurement after connecting with Arslam, who turned to the drug trade after abandoning his work as a two-wheeler mechanic in Rampur.

“Further efforts are being made to trace the entire supply chain and identify the source and destination of the further recovered contraband,” said DCP (Crime Branch-ANTF) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.

The bust, officials said, underscores the growing attempts of drug syndicates to push heroin into Delhi and adjoining states, and the Crime Branch’s ongoing efforts to choke supply lines through targeted intelligence and coordinated raids.

–IANS

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