Guwahati: Delhi Police Special Cell (southern range) have arrested 5 key members of an international drug cartel overseeing operations in India for possessing heroin worth around Rs. 90 crore that is suspected to be from the neighbouring country of Myanmar. Two youths hailing from Golaghat in Assam are among the arrestees.
Police have also recovered 20 kg of heroin concealed in hidden cavities inside vehicles owned by the traffickers.
The apprehended traffickers have been identified as Uday Kumar, Subodh Das, and Sanjeev Kumar from Bihar, and Nityanand, and Rahul Handique from Assam's Golaghat.
Uday, Subodh, and Sanjeev were taken into custody on September 8 from Outer Ring Road, near Mukundpur Chowk in Delhi.
Each of them was found in possession of 5 kg of heroin and another 5 kg was recovered from a secret cavity beneath the running board of their vehicle.
Police conducted raids the next day resulting in the arrests of Rahul and Nityanand from Bhairon Road in Delhi's Pragati Maidan.
Officials found another 3 kg heroin that both the drug traffickers had hidden behind the music system inside their Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R.
As per reports, a team of the Special Cell had been working to gather information about this international drug cartel for quite some time and inputs had suggested that this cartel was active in the states of Manipur, Assam, UP, Bihar and Delhi.
The Special Cell had been informed that heroin from Myanmar was received by members of the drug cartel in Assam's Bokajan.
After carrying out surveillance work for four months, key members of the cartel were recognized by police who received a tip that the suspects will be handing over contraband to customers near Mukundpur Chowk in Delhi on September 8.
Uday, Subodh, and Sanjeev were cornered by the team and 20 kg of heroin was recovered from them.
The raid further led to the arrests of Rahul and Nityanand and the seizure of another 3 kg heroin.
During interrogation, it was revealed that Nityanand was leader of this particular group.
It was he who received the heroin from a supplier in Manipur with links to Myanmar.
Nityanand told police that there is widespread illegal cultivation of opium in bordering areas in Manipur and drug manufacturers prepare heroin from opium to supply in parts of India.
Over the last three-four years, officials have taken note of a new route used for smuggling heroin into India from Myanmar via Manipur.
In 2015, Nityanand 2015 came in touch with Manipur-based notorious drug supplier Nanwa who lured him to the business.
He worked with Nanwa for two years and developed his own network which he then used to smuggle and distribute heroin and other illegal drugs.