Police bust interstate drug trafficking syndicate, 4 held

The alleged kingpin, Lokesh Bhardwaj, is a B. Com dropout from Rewari, Haryana, who took to drug trafficking after his bottled water business failed.

The crime branch of Delhi Police has busted an interstate drug trafficking syndicate, recovering over 411 kilograms of high-grade ganja (cannabis), officers said on Sunday, adding that four key operatives, including the main supplier from Odisha, have been arrested.

Police bust interstate drug trafficking syndicate, 4 held

Acting on specific intelligence under the national “2020 Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan”, a special team of crime branch officials launched the operation near Golf Course Road in Sector 19, Dwarka, on July 6, they officers added.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (crime) Harsh Indora said that the team intercepted a truck and a Tata Nexon car on July 6 while the suspects were transferring ganja from the truck to the car.

“Three men — identified as Lokesh Bhardwaj, 27; Ashish Khasa alias Ashu, 20; and Moeen Khan, 24; — were apprehended on the spot. A total of 411 kilograms of fine-quality marijuana, valued at approximately ₹1.90 crore in the international market, was recovered from the vehicles,” the DCP added.

Following interrogation, the crime branch traced the origin of consignment to Odisha.

“A second raid was conducted, leading to the arrest of the main supplier, Srikant Prasad ,33, from Gopalganj, Bihar, who was currently operating from Odisha. He was nabbed after an intensive manhunt on July 10,” the officer added.

The alleged kingpin, Lokesh Bhardwaj, is a B. Com dropout from Rewari, Haryana, who took to drug trafficking after his bottled water business failed. His associate, Ashish Khasa, also from Rewari, reportedly joined the illegal trade following financial struggles after his father’s demise. Moeen Khan, a school dropout from Nuh, Haryana, worked as a truck driver and is accused of transporting contraband across states. The fourth accused, Srikant Prasad, has a prior arrest in a similar case from Bihar. He is believed to have entered the narcotics trade through contacts developed during his brother’s incarceration, said officers.

The DCP said that the crime branch has been actively targeting drug networks operating between Delhi and Naxal-affected areas of Odisha. “This operation is part of our sustained crackdown on interstate drug networks that are flooding the city with narcotics,” he said, adding that further investigations are underway to identify forward and backward linkages (delivery and source) points) and dismantle the entire supply chain.