Four held for supplying drugs in Noida, Greater Noida in guise of e-commerce packages

The police said they recovered 20 kilo marijuana, estimated to be worth ₹25-30 lakh, besides 400 grams of hash, 148 envelopes and 41 packaging material of a popular e-commerce firm, electronic scales, a sedan car and a motorcycle from the suspects

The Greater Noida police on Monday arrested four people, including a woman, for allegedly smuggling drugs into educational and corporate hubs in Noida and Greater Noida under the guise of e-commerce deliveries, said police, adding that the drugs were wrapped in the packaging of an e-commerce company to avoid suspicion.

Police on Monday arrested four people, including a woman, for allegedly smuggling drugs into educational and corporate hubs in Noida and Greater Noida after disguising the contraband consignments as e-commerce packages.

The police said they recovered 20 kilo marijuana, estimated to be worth ₹25-30 lakh, besides 400 grams of hash, 148 envelopes and 41 packaging material of a popular e-commerce firm, electronic scales, a sedan car and a motorcycle from the suspects.

“The local police received confidential input that a gang has been operating since the past several months and they are involved in delivering drug consignments to various places in Noida and Greater Noida under the guise of e-commerce deliveries.

Developing the information, the four suspects were arrested from Navada roundabout in a joint operation by the Beta-2 police station and SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team on Monday evening,” said Ashok Kumar, additional deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida.

The suspects have been identified as Chintu Thakur and his brother Bintu Thakur, both hailing from Bulandshahr and residing in Noida, Jai Prakash hailing from Sikandarpur and residing in Noida, and Varsha (single name), hailing from Bulandshahr and residing in Greater Noida.

“The suspects have been booked under relevant sections of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act),” said ADCP Kumar.

“Chintu is the mastermind of the gang.He created a WhatsApp group to connect with a list of clients across Noida and Greater Noida. He and his brother Bintu would take orders through WhatsApp and the location for delivery was given to Jai Prakash and Varsha, who would carry out the delivery disguised as delivery executives, or by hiring a short distance courier service to deliver the packages, wrapped in the packaging of an e-commerce company,” said Kumar.

The deliveries were transported in a sedan car and a motorcycle, both of which have been seized by the police from the suspects. They also used to supply drugs in smaller packets of 10, 30 and 40 grams, he said.

“The deliveries were made to colleges and universities in Noida and Greater Noida as well as corporate offices in the two cities. No one would suspect an e-commerce package to contain drugs, and the deliveries were made without any suspicion,” said the officer.

He said the gang was functional for the past three years, and their clientele consists of people known to them. “Of the four suspects, Varsha has completed her BBA degree from Greater Noida in 2020, and after graduation, got involved in delivering drugs to educational institutions. The clientele list has several employees working at corporate offices in the city, at reputable posts,” said ADCP Kumar.

He said the links of the gang is being investigated.

“More arrests are likely to be made in this case, as we are investigating the client list of the suspects as well as their suppliers. During interrogation, Chintu told police that he procured marijuana from Shillong in Meghalaya for ₹40,000 per kilo and sold it in Noida and Greater Noida at a rate of ₹1.5 lakh per kilo,” he said.

Kumar said all four suspects are history sheeters and have been arrested earlier this year as well under the NDPS Act. “Chintu has also been arrested in 2019, 2021 and 2022 under several charges, including those of assault, excise act and the Gangster Act,” he said.