The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested four persons, including a Nigerian national, for allegedly carrying a consignment of 370 kg contraband, worth around Rs 125 crore, in international market.
The accused were working at the behest of Abu Dada, alias Baba, based in Dubai. Investigators are also looking for absconding associates of Mehboob Khan (68), Arthur Frank (42), Sandeep Bansal (36) and Krishan Kumar (42). “Khan and Arthur are part of a large international narcotics syndicate that supplies ephedrine. They worked as middlemen and supplied to various persons of Nigerian origin in Delhi, who smuggled the ephedrine to other countries by courier,” said a senior police officer.
On June 15, police had received information that Khan would deliver a consignment to a Nigerian national in Shakarpur. They laid a trap and arrested Khan and Arthur with a consignment of 50 kg. later, a raid at Bansal Pharma, Bhagirath Palace yielded 20 kg ephedrine and led to Bansal’s arrest on June 21.
Kumar, who supplied the 20 kg to him, was also arrested from Chandni Chowk and 10 kg found in his possession. “During interrogation, Khan said he went to Dubai in 1967 and lived there for around three years. He ran a general store. He met Abu Dada in Sharjah. His shop then shut down due to a financial crisis and he had to return to Mumbai. Khan kept visiting Dubai and few months later, Abu lured him to work as his agent for supplying ephedrine and directed him to develop his network in India,” the officer added.
Arthur had come to India in 2001 on a six-month tourist visa but did not return. He started supplying heroin in Delhi. “He was earlier arrested for supplying ephedrine and was jailed for 10 years and was out on bail,” the officer added.