Bhondsi: 35 kilos of marijuana seized, one arrested

Earlier on April 16, the police had arrested two men allegedly in possession of 107 kilograms of marijuana, estimated to be worth at least ₹50 lakh, from a housekeeping shop in Udyog Vihar.

The police arrested a 30-year-old man late Tuesday near Bhondsi for allegedly possessing 35 kilograms of marijuana (ganja). According to the police, the man allegedly procured the banned substance from an Alwar dealer and peddled it in smaller quantities. He had procured the consignment for ₹4.80 lakh but had paid only ₹20,000 as advance and had planned to sell the marijuana at the rate of ₹250 for 10 grams. The police registered a case against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the Bhondsi City police station on Friday night.

According to the police, the man allegedly procured the banned substance from an Alwar dealer and peddled it in smaller quantities. (HT archives. Representative image)

The man was identified as Salem Khan of Tauru in Nuh.

Preet Pal Sangwan, assistant commissioner of police (crime), said the Khan is a history-sheeter and has been involved in the drug trade for the past 18 months. “He worked as an electrician in his village but could not make ends meet. He discussed his financial condition with one of his friends in Alwar, who introduced him to drug smuggling,” he said.

Earlier, Khan would allegedly go to Alwar to buy the consignment and later sell it to small-time dealers in Nuh and Gurugram areas.

A police team, headed by Bijender Hooda, inspector, crime unit, Palam Vihar, arrested the suspect based on secret information near a farmhouse in Bhondsi around 11pm when he had allegedly received the consignment and was walking back home.

Hooda said Khan was carrying a sack in which there were around 15 sealed packets. “He had received a call from the supplier to pick up the consignment from Gurugram on Friday. He took lifts in trucks and motorcycles to reach Gurugram and was planning to return via the same mode of transport but was caught,” he said.

During questioning, the suspect allegedly told the police that the kingpin of the trade sourced marijuana from Odisha and sold it in smaller quantities. The consignment from Odisha reached Alwar in trucks carrying essential supplies and was later sold to dealers in Rajasthan, Nuh and Gurugram, the police said.

The police said they received a tip about a consignment of drugs that was to be delivered in Bhondsi. A team from the Palam Vihar crime investigation unit set a trap to apprehend the dealer near the farmhouse.

Sangwan said they are yet to identify the kingpin and the Alwar dealer who had come to deliver the consignment. “We are on the lookout for his aides,” he said.

The seized marijuana will be sent to the forensics lab at Madhuban in Karnal, the police said.

The suspect was produced at the district court on Saturday and sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Earlier on April 16, the police had arrested two men allegedly in possession of 107 kilograms of marijuana, estimated to be worth at least ₹50 lakh, from a housekeeping shop in Udyog Vihar. One of their suppliers, a Bangladesh national, was arrested from Delhi a day after.

According to the police, the gang was active in Delhi-NCR and its members allegedly sold smaller consignments of 10 kilograms each to drug peddlers for potential sale to people

Sangwan said that during questioning, the suspects had revealed that they had sourced the marijuana a few days before a nationwide lockdown was announced to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

“Suspects these days are peddling drugs by walking down from other districts through fields. They have increased their prices during the lockdown and are managing to supply the consignment to several dealers in the city. Due to frequent police patrols, their movement within the city is restricted. We have arrested nine people from the city in the last one month, are mapping the areas from where these men were arrested and have increased patrolling to ensure there is no supply of drugs in the city,” Sangwan said.