673kg marijuana estimated to be worth ₹1.25 crore seized from truck in Gurugram, two held

Police arrested two alleged members of an interstate drug smuggling racket and seized 673kg of marijuana from a truck near Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway early Monday, officials said on Tuesday

Police arrested two alleged members of an interstate drug smuggling racket and seized 673kg of marijuana from a truck near Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway early Monday, officials said on Tuesday.

Gurugram police with the seized contraband. (HT Photo)

Police said the contraband consignment, concealed beneath sacks of plastic granules, was estimated to be worth ₹1.25 crore, and was being transported from Odisha to Bhiwadi in Rajasthan.

The suspects were identified as Mohammad Sabir, 34, the truck owner and driver, and his co-driver Mohammad Sanawar, 19, both residents of Rajasthan’s Khairthal district. Police also seized the truck, 767 bags and 15 smaller packages of plastic granules.

Investigators said Rajasthan-based smugglers contacted Sabir to transport the consignment from Odisha. Although he initially offered his driver’s services, the smugglers insisted that he personally handle the transport.

Sabir sought three days to reach Odisha by train, but smugglers paid for his flight from Delhi to Visakhapatnam on October 23.on October 23. He then travelled by road to Odisha, where his truck was waiting.

Naveen Sharma, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said Sabir relieved his driver, took the truck to the designated location to load the contraband and headed towards Bhiwadi.

Acting on a tip-off, a Sector 65 crime branch team led by sub-inspector Arun intercepted the Rajasthan-registered truck near Rajiv Chowk around 1am on Monday.

“The duo had concealed the contraband beneath sacks of plastic granules to evade police checks. They had documentation for the granules,” Sharma said.

According to Sharma, Sabir received ₹2 lakh for each successful trip. “This was his third such trip from Odisha to Rajasthan,” he said.

Police said Sabir had earned ₹4 lakh from two previous consignments and employed Sanawar for a monthly salary of ₹20,000.

Both suspects were produced before a city court and remanded in police custody for 10 days. Police said two teams would leave for Odisha and Rajasthan on Wednesday to trace and arrest others in the network.

An FIR was registered against the duo and unidentified accomplices under Section 20(b)(ii)(C) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at Sadar police station on Monday.