BENGALURU: Hebbal police have busted an inter-state drug-peddling network by arresting eight people, including three foreign nationals, and seizing 17.5 kg of MDMA worth Rs 35 crore from them. Of the accused, six have been arrested in Delhi and Haryana.
The police gave the names of the accused as Reena, 50, from West Delhi, Debashish Banerjee, 66, from Delhi, Dheeraj, 30 from Delhi, Mohammed Mansoor P, 30, and Abdul Sammed, 38, residents of Bengaluru, Danfa Gerald from Senegal, Magreth Liginiko Chale from Tanzania, and Obianuu Rita Okeke, 34.
Gerald and Chale came to India on tourist visas and lived in Haryana. Okeke came to India on a medical visa and lived in Delhi, the police said.
City police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh told reporters on Wednesday that a police team from Bengaluru north division arrested six accused, including three foreigners, in Delhi and two from Bengaluru. The team recovered 17.5 kg of MDMA from different locations.
“This is one of the largest seizures made by our city police team. The team launched an operation some time ago and worked efficiently to trace the links of the accused. Many major players are absconding and we are trying to trace them,” Singh said.
He said the racket came to light during an investigation into a case by Yeshwanthpur police, in which nine people were arrested. Information and technical evidence gathered during that investigation led the police to the drug-peddling network in Hebbal.
The 40-member police team worked in Bengaluru and Delhi. “We will continue our investigation to identify the main suppliers and consumers. We have gathered some evidence and are working to trace the key suppliers,” he said.
MDMA hidden in sarees
The accused allegedly concealed MDMA crystals in sarees, foldable iron tables and chairs, and sent them from Delhi to Bengaluru by train.
The police said the drugs may have either been manufactured in Delhi or smuggled in from other countries, especially from Nigeria. In Bengaluru, the contraband was allegedly kept in cars parked in isolated places and sold to customers.
Based on a tip off, the police initially seized a car near Anand Nagar in Hebbal and recovered 4.3 kg of MDMA. Three people were detained in this connection. The police suspect that the accused arrested in Bengaluru procured the drugs from Delhi and distributed them across the city.