The Delhi Police has put a notorious criminal, whose criminal history for crime dates back to 1986, to one year preventive detention after getting a nod from the central advisory board. Police said that to curb his clandestine and nefarious activities, the provisions of Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act, 1988 were invoked, which provides for preventive detention for one year.
The accused has been identified as Sharafat Sheikh, a resident of Nizamuddin West area and presently lodged in Tihar jail. Police said he is involved in 36 criminal cases including attempt to murder, NDPS and Arms Act. He was allegedly involved in receiving stolen articles and ran a well organised gang.
“Recently a PITNDPS proposal was prepared by Narcotics Cell, Crime Branch and was sent to PITNDPS Division, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance for the detention of well known drug traffickers, Sharafat,” said Chinmoy Biswal, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Narcotics.
“Keeping in view his active involvement in drug trafficking cases the proposal was put up before Screening Committee comprising of six members, headed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Chief. The Screening Committee found it fit and the competent authority issued his detention order under PITNDPS Act, 1988 on April 2,” said the DCP.
“Further, the detention order has now been ratified by Central Advisory Board, comprising of three High Court Judges headed by Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in a hearing which took place on June 1 and ordered detention of Sharafat for a period of one year,” said the DCP.
“The basic objective of the Preventive Detention Law is to target the main operators such as, Organizers, financiers kingpins and others who generally remain and operate behind the scene, habitual or organised traffickers, licensed cultivators embezzling opium, Illicit cultivators of cannabis or opium,” said the DCP.
Giving details about Sharafat, the DCP said that after coming to Delhi, he was first arrested by the Delhi Police under section 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 325 (Punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in1986.
“During judicial custody he met with one Inayat, who was drug seller and in order to fulfill his desire to earn more money Sharafat came in contact with drug suppliers. He began his foray into the trade of illegal drugs as a peddler but soon he climbed up the crime ladder to become one of the top suppliers of heroin in Delhi and its peripherals,” said the DCP.
“Expanding his criminal activities, Sharafat also started receiving stolen jewellary with the help of one Nitin Jain. His family is also indulged in drug trafficking and many cases have been registered against them for selling of narcotics substances,” said the DCP.
“Even when he was lodged in Tihar jail in 2007, he was running the drug syndicate in the city and a call made by him, during that period was traced by Narcotics Branch, Shakar Pur which led to the arrest of three persons,” said the DCP.
“Last year in July, after specific inputs were received, police team nabbed two men, Nasir Hussain and Mohammad with three kilograms of heroin. They disclosed that contraband had been procured by them from District Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh at the behest of Sharafat Sheikh and was to be delivered to him in Delhi,” said the DCP.