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Delhi Police recover 8kg heroin from member of interstate gang
The syndicate is involved in illegal opium cultivation, heroin-making and smuggling the contraband into Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh,said officials of the special cell that arrested the drug supplier, Santosh Kumar Sinha, and recovered the consignment.
The Delhi Police on Tuesday said they had recovered eight kilograms of heroin from a 41-year-old suspected member of an interstate drug syndicate operating from the Maoist-affected areas of Chatra, Khunti, Palamu, and Saraikela in Jharkhand.
The syndicate is involved in illegal opium cultivation, heroin-making and smuggling the contraband into Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh,said officials of the special cell that arrested the drug supplier, Santosh Kumar Sinha, and recovered the consignment.
Police have estimated that the total value of the seized eight kg heroin is around Rs 32 crore in the international market, pegging it at about Rs 4 crore per kg. However, the price of heroin in the international market varies between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 80 lakh per kg depending on its quality and location, according to various global watchdogs, including agencies linked with United Nations.
Deputy commissioner of police (special cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said that the special cell team, while working on active interstate gangs dealing in narcotic drugs, received information that due to the Maoist stronghold and obscure terrain, the forested areas of Chatra, Khunti, Palamu, and Saraikela in Jharkhand have emerged as a major hub of illegal opium cultivation.
“Several villagers in these areas are involved in the illegal business of opium/poppy cultivation for easy money. To do so, farmers are supposed to pay a certain amount to the Maoists. People involved in drug supply procure crude heroin from the villagers, process it into pure heroin and smuggle the contraband into Delhi and UP,” said DCP Yadav.
The special cell received inputs about one such syndicate and surveilled the activities and movements of its members. On Monday, the team received information that one of the gang’s members would be in Delhi to deliver a consignment of heroin to a drug dealer in Inderpuri.
“Accordingly, they laid a trap and the supplier, Santosh Kumar Sinha, was caught with eight kg heroin from Rohini area around 11pm Monday. His interrogation revealed that to avoid law enforcement agencies, he changed his mode of transport and cellphone numbers during each trip. The gang members usually travel in private vehicles and trucks,” added the DCP.
The police are interrogating Sinha to establish his connection with Maoists in Jharkhand.
