Delhi’s most wanted woman bootlegger, drug peddler held after 2 years on run

Meeta, was wanted in a case registered under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in 2023 and had been absconding since.

Delhi Police has arrested a 58-year-old woman wanted in multiple cases from central Delhi after she evaded arrest for more than two years, an official said on Friday.

Accused is a known bootlegger and drug peddler, with as many as 20 criminal cases registered against her. (Representative image) (Pexels)

Meeta, a resident of Nand Nagri in northeast Delhi, was wanted in a case registered under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in 2023 and had been absconding since.

History-sheeter with 20 cases held: DCP

The accused is a known bootlegger and drug peddler, with as many as 20 criminal cases registered against her, DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan said, adding that she was a history-sheeter at the Nand Nagri police station.

Police received a tip-off that the accused would be arriving near a Delhi Milk Scheme (DMS) booth in central Delhi to meet someone. Accordingly, a trap was laid which led to her arrest, the DCP said.

"During questioning, Meeta told police that she entered the world of crime at a young age. Her first arrest came in 1985 under the Excise Act," Valsan said.

MCOCA invoked in 2023 over Meeta’s drug and liquor racket: DCP

Over the years, Meeta along with her associates ran a racket involved in the illegal trade of alcohol and narcotic substances, prompting the invocation of MCOCA in 2023, the DCP said.

Following the registration of the case, she went into hiding and kept shifting locations to evade arrest.

Her previous criminal record includes cases under the NDPS Act, Excise Act, and Indian Penal Code, ranging from drug trafficking and bootlegging to assault, obstruction of public servants, and harbouring proclaimed offenders, the officer said.