BHOPAL: By day, he travelled from town to town on a motorcycle selling blankets. By night, he smuggled drugs like opium and poppy husk across state borders. Ramesh Banjara from Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh, lived this double life, Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde style, until Rajasthan Police arrested him.
Ramesh evaded arrest in NDPS cases by exploiting his striking resemblance to his brother Bahadur. Despite raids by the Rajasthan Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF), he managed to stay ahead of the law. To conceal his identity, Ramesh posed as his brother.
Whenever questioned, he introduced himself as Bahadur and even produced his brother’s Aadhaar card on at least two occasions when ANTF teams were about to apprehend him.
During the day, he travelled across MP, Rajasthan and Gujarat under the guise of Bahadur. He built contacts and finalised drug deals under the cover of his trade. After sunset, Ramesh reverted to his real identity and supplied narcotics to buyers he had connected with during the day.
ANTF IG Vikas Kumar said a breakthrough came when intelligence pointed to Ramesh’s in-laws’ village in Chittorgarh. Two teams kept watch on Ramesh and Bahadur. One tracked movements during a post-cremation gathering in the village.
As Ramesh returned to Neemuch on a motorcycle with his wife, another team intercepted them on the route. He attempted to mislead officers again by presenting Bahadur’s Aadhaar card, while his wife also backed his claim that he was not Ramesh. “The team asked why her husband had not accompanied her to her parental home. Interrogation led to the truth, and Ramesh was arrested,” Kumar said.
Resemblance to brother
Taking advantage of his close resemblance to brother Bahadur, Ramesh Banjara evaded arrest in NDPS cases despite raids by Rajasthan Anti Narcotic Task Force (ANTF). To conceal his identity, he used brother’s name. He produced Bahadur’s Aadhaar card to ANTF and evaded arrest.