New peddler faces forced into selling marijuana

On Friday, property dealer Pankaj Verma was arrested with around 21kg of marijuana, after he was lured to earn a fast buck to cope with business losses

Be it public transport like an auto-rickshaw, or a private car, drug peddlers in the state capital are using different tricks to dodge the police and sell marijuana.

For representation only (HT File Photo)

On March 4, the Madiaon police arrested a 42-year-old property dealer, Pankaj Verma, who was carrying 21.200 kgs of marijuana in his car. Madiaon inspector in-charge, Shiva Nand Mishra said that Verma, a resident of Faizullaganj, Madiaon, was arrested during a vehicle-checking drive near Maurya market.

“We were surprised as the accused doesn’t have any history of drug peddling. His late father, Raj Kumar Verma, was a secretariat employee, and he was into property dealing business at least for the past 15 years, but the sudden loss in the business pushed him into drug-peddling after coming in touch of one Kannaujiya, around a year back,” the inspector said and added, “ Kannaujiya lured Verma to earn a fast buck by selling marijuana, which according to them is thriving business in the state capital”.

He said that Verma used to pose as a journalist by putting a ‘Press’ sticker, as well as pose as a lawyer by inscribing ‘Advocate’ on the windscreen of his car. He said the accused revealed that he often used Press stickers to easily pass through police checking in the city.

Lucknow deputy commissioner of police (DCP), crime, Kamlesh Dixit, said that drug peddlers are using different tricks to expand their network in the city. He said the incident surfaced recently where auto-rickshaw drivers were roped to sell marijuana after which police focused on checking the auto-rickshaw drivers.

Now, the arrest of the property dealer suggests that even the common man is being roped in this drug-peddling business, he said.