Delhi Police Bust Interstate Drug Racket, Seize 165 kg Cannabis Hidden in Cashew Boxes
Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled a major interstate drug trafficking network. Officers arrested three individuals and confiscated over 165 kilograms of cannabis. The syndicate operated for more than a year, moving massive quantities of ganja from Odisha to the national capital.
Priest Among Three Arrested in Coordinated Operation
Police identified the main supplier as Rudrapratap Suar, also known as Pappu Suar. He served as a temple priest in Puri, Odisha. The other two arrested men are Ajeet, aged 41, from West Delhi's Jwala Puri, and Sonu, aged 30, from East Delhi's Khichripur.
Investigators revealed that Ajeet managed a toy-packing unit in Nihal Vihar. This business functioned as a front for storing and distributing the illegal drugs. The operation came to light after the Crime Branch received specific intelligence on December 24.
Innovative Concealment Method Using Courier Services
The drug ring employed a clever concealment strategy. They packed the cannabis inside boxes meant for cashew nuts. These packages then traveled through legitimate courier services. The syndicate tracked consignments in real time to ensure smooth delivery.
Upon arrival in Delhi, laborers handled the final distribution. This step aimed to avoid police detection. Officers estimate the group coordinated more than one hundred such deliveries during the past year.
Police Trap Leads to Initial Seizure and Arrests
Acting on the tip-off about a delivery in Northwest Delhi's Mangolpuri area, police set a trap. Around 8:40 PM, Sonu and Ajeet arrived separately on scooters. Both carried cartons which they began shifting.
Police intercepted them immediately. A search uncovered forty-five packets of cannabis. The total weight measured 47.34 kilograms. Officers registered a case under sections 20 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. They arrested both men on the spot.
Further Investigation Uncovers Larger Consignment
During questioning, Ajeet provided crucial information. He revealed that the consignment originated from Odisha. The supplier was Pappu Suar. This led police to discover seven additional boxes from the same shipment.
These boxes sat at a courier office in Delhi. A subsequent raid recovered another 118.4 kilograms of ganja. The total recovery now stands at 165.74 kilograms of cannabis.
Temple Priest Apprehended After Three-Week Manhunt
Investigators traced Suar to his location in Odisha. The Crime Branch team conducted nearly three weeks of technical surveillance and fieldwork. They finally apprehended the temple priest from Puri and brought him to Delhi for further legal proceedings.
Police seized two mobile phones from Sonu and one from Ajeet. These devices may contain evidence about the network's operations. Authorities continue their investigation to identify other links in this extensive drug distribution chain.
The successful operation highlights Delhi Police's ongoing efforts to combat organized crime. It also exposes sophisticated methods used by drug traffickers to evade law enforcement across state borders.
