The Delhi Police Special Cell arrested a kingpin of an interstate drug cartel, who was carrying a reward of `50,000. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, said the accused has been identified as 45-year-old Nazir Hussain alias Nizamuddin, a resident of North-East India.
The DCP said that that they got to know about Nizamuddin while they were investigating a case in which five drug traffickers and 69 kgs of high grade opium worth rupees several crores in International market was recovered from their possession. “It was found that Nizamuddin is the kingpin of drug cartel. He would collect opium and heroin from various small cultivators in North-East and supply them to various middle-men located in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR through his carriers using trucks and other heavy vehicles to avoid detection by law enforcing agencies,” said Yadav adding that he was also declared Proclaimed Offender (PO) by the concerned Delhi Court as he evaded arrest when the police team went to Assam and neighbouring states in search for him.
After months of efforts, information was received that Nizamuddin would be reaching Delhi by train from Guwahati on April 14 and would get dropped at Anand Vihar Railway Station in East Delhi. Special Cell sleuths reached Ghaziabad Railway Station and boarded the train in which the accused was seated and he was arrested after interrogating him at the spot, the DCP added.
The accused during interrogation disclosed that illegal farming of opium is rampant in North-East States like Manipur, Assam and Nagaland and they have become a major source of supply of opium and heroin to Punjab via UP and Delhi-NCR. After a crack-down by Border Security Forces (BSF) on Pakistan Border, illegal smuggling of the drugs in Punjab had taken a nose dive and this route has now become a preferred one by drug traffickers, the accused told police.
“He also stated that North-East States are now the biggest hub for supply of these drugs to rest of North India, which are manufacturing them locally as well as smuggling from Myanmar,” said the DCP.
It is also revealed Nizamuddin’s middle-men were regular customers, who used to place orders on phone and money used to be transferred both through banks and cash. The accused disclosed that he had earlier made several trips to UP and Delhi-NCR to supply opium to various middle-men.