MEDININAGAR: A notorious drug peddler, who disguised himself as a 'sadhu', was arrested in Jharkhand's Palamu district after being on the run for four years, police said on Monday.
Suryanath Vaid alias Nanku was arrested from the Housing Colony in Medininagar, following a raid at his residence on Sunday night, they said.
The police were on the hunt for Nanku since 2017 after 78 kg of poppy was seized in the Pratappur area, they added.
He was allegedly the kingpin of a gang involved in drug peddling, Palamu's Superintendent of Police (SP) Chandan Kumar Sinha said.
He was living in the Housing Colony in the disguise of a 'sadhu' and allegedly continued to operate a state-level narcotics gang, Sinha said.
Acting on a tip-off, his residence was raided, police said.
On seeing the police team, Nanku shut the door and jumped from the roof to hide behind a bush, they said.
However, the police caught him.
Nanku used to keep changing his place to evade arrest, Sinha said, expressing hope that police would be able to extract information about the network of drug peddlers from him.
Nanku also used to deliver religious sermons to the people to upkeep his disguise, police said.