New Delhi:

Three men have been arrested from Manipur with 10 kilograms of high-grade heroin worth over Rs 50 crore in the international market, an official said on Thursday.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has claimed to dismantle an inter-state narcotics syndicate with the arrest of — Mitralal Khatiwoda alias Manoj (45), Krishna Neopani (21), and Akash Karki (25) — all residents of Manipur.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said the Special Cell unit had been tracking an inter-state drug network operating across Manipur, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR.

The syndicate was actively involved in smuggling heroin from Myanmar into India via Manipur and further distributing it across different states, Kaushik said.

He said investigators spent more than four to five months gathering intelligence through technical and manual surveillance. During this period, police teams visited West Bengal and Manipur multiple times to track the movement of the traffickers and develop local sources.

On January 23, a raiding team was formed based on a tip-off about Mitralal and Akash, who were planning to deliver a heroin consignment in Delhi’s Mangolpuri Industrial Area, the officer said.

The two arrived at the designated spot in an e-rickshaw along with their associate Krishna and as soon as they were identified by the informer, police apprehended all the three suspects, he added.

A thorough search led to the recovery of 10 kilograms of high-quality heroin, hidden inside their belongings, he said, adding that a case was registered an investigation was launched.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they were part of a well-organised drug syndicate that smuggled heroin from Myanmar into India, DCP Kaushik said.

The operation began with raw opium being procured from the Myanmar border, which was then processed into heroin in Thoubal, Manipur, police said.

The drug was subsequently transported via carriers to Dimapur (Nagaland), Guwahati (Assam), and Siliguri (West Bengal), before reaching Delhi-NCR, officials said.

Traffickers concealed heroin in secret cavities within trucks to evade detection, making it nearly impossible to spot during routine checks, police said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Bhopal:

The Madhya Pradesh factory where Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized drugs valued over Rs 1,800 crore was registered as a soap manufacturing unit.

The unit located in Bagroda Industrial Enclave, around 10 km from Bhopal, was rented out to a third person.

“Land was allotted for setting up a soap manufacturing unit, where different types of chemicals were supposed to be used, however, it was given on rent to a third party,” Bhopal Police Commissioner, Harinarayanchari Mishra, said.

48 hours later, the raids are still on.

Two people – Sanyal Prakash Bane and Amit Chaturvedi – were arrested earlier. On Monday, the cops arrested a third suspect, Harish Anjana, from Mandsaur district, around 350 km from Bhopal and handed him to Gujarat ATS for further interrogation. An FIR has been registered against the factory owners.

The factory, which had been rented six months ago, is at the centre of investigations.

Officers have been scouring the site, searching through scattered chemical bottles, and seizing evidence as part of the ongoing operation.

The suspects were on the radar of Gujarat ATS for over a month.

The suspicion turned into certainty when officers discovered that the factory’s ventilation system was connected to the ground level, a method rarely seen in typical industrial operations where ventilation is usually placed on the roof.

The accused had also reportedly sourced raw materials for drug production from Vapi, Gujarat, located nearly 700 kilometre from Bhopal.

The accused were allegedly using cryptocurrency to conduct transactions and were planning to send drug consignments to the UK and Dubai, say police.

During interrogation, Harish Anjana confessed to supplying the chemical used for manufacturing MD (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) drugs through the Gujarat-Maharashtra route, the police added.

The Political Row

As investigation continues, the case has taken a political turn. The Congress has criticized the ruling BJP after images surfaced of one of the accused, Harish Anjana, with Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda.

Congress leader Jitu Patwari accused the BJP of having links with the drug mafia, pointing to the photograph as evidence of the association.

“The state is number one in drug business, and the mafia operates under the government’s protection,” alleged Mr Patwari.

He further alleged that BJP Yuva Morcha leaders were connected to drug trafficking operations and questioned the government’s role in allowing such activities to thrive.

Manoj Singh, DIG, Ratlam Range, said: “So far, no information has surfaced linking Harish to any political leader or police officer. However, the police are thoroughly investigating all such possibilities, and any leads in this direction will be closely examined.”

In response, BJP leaders, including Madhya Pradesh BJP President VD Sharma, dismissed the allegations. Mr Sharma stated that simply having a photo with a public figure does not imply any connection to criminal activities. He accused Congress of attempting to malign the state’s reputation and demoralize the police.

“Many people take photos with political leaders, but that doesn’t mean they are connected to their actions. Congress is trying to defame Madhya Pradesh with lies and deceit,” Mr Sharma said.

He also praised the police for their successful operation and assured the public that the accused will face stringent legal action.

Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda also addressed the controversy, asserting that the photo does not imply any connection between him and the accused.

“A criminal cannot be exonerated simply by being photographed with a political figure. Stringent action must be taken against criminals, and I have no ties with such individuals. Congress should focus on its own internal matters before leveling baseless allegations,” he said.

Mr Devda added that both the party and he fully support law enforcement and that no criminal will be spared.

“The law will take its own course, and we will not defend such criminals,” he said.

Questions Galore

As the NCB and ATS continue their investigations, questions are being raised about how such a large-scale drug manufacturing operation could go unnoticed in an industrial area.

The Bagroda Industrial Area houses 423 plots, out of which industries are operating on approximately 125 plots. Despite being in proximity to other industries, neither local authorities nor neighboring workers were aware of the drug factory’s operations.

New Delhi:

Being a part of the lucrative movie business was not enough for a Tamil film producer, who chose to mastermind a drug racket that earned his gang nearly Rs 2,000 crore in just three years. 

Officials from the Narcotics Control Bureau said Information was received from customs authorities in New Zealand and the police in Australia that large quantities of pseudoephedrine, a key chemical used to make methamphetamine, were being sent to the countries concealed in desiccated coconut powder or health mixes.  

Methamphetamine, also known as meth or crystal meth, is a drug that is in high demand worldwide, and sells for nearly Rs 1.5 crore a kg in Australia and New Zealand. 

“After inputs from the US Drug Enforcement Administration indicated that the consignments were being sent from Delhi, a joint team of the Delhi police special cell and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was constituted. After four months of intensive technical and field surveillance, it was learnt that these operatives were in Delhi again and were trying to send another consignment to Australia,” said Gyaneshwar Singh, Deputy Director General, NCB.

Officials said surveillance led them to a godown in West Delhi’s Basai Darapur, where members of the gang were caught trying to conceal pseudoephedrine in a multigrain food mix to smuggle it. Three members of the gang were arrested and 50 kg of the chemical was seized. 

An official said sustained interrogation of the men, who are from Tamil Nadu, revealed that the gang had sent 45 consignments in the past three years, adding up to 3,500 kg of pseudoephedrine, which is worth over Rs 2,000 crore in the international market. 

“The mastermind of the nexus has been identified as a Tamil film producer, who is on the run. We are trying hard to arrest him so that we can find the source of the pseudoephedrine,” an official said. 

The NCB has also reached out to New Zealand and Australian authorities to arrest the people who received the consignments in those countries.