A 32-year-old man who led a double life as a cab driver by day and drug courier by night was arrested by the police from Delhi’s Uttam Nagar area, police said on Saturday.
The accused, Sanjeev Kumar Shah, was wanted in a major drug trafficking case in Rajasthan involving the seizure of cannabis worth over Rs. 56 lakh and had been on the run for nearly a year.
Shah was arrested on June 18 near Uttam Nagar Metro Station after the police received a tip-off about his movement in the area. Acting on the information, a team laid a trap and managed to apprehend him without any resistance. A reward of Rs. 10,000 had been announced for information leading to his arrest by the Rajasthan Police.
According to officials, Shah was named as an accused in a narcotics case registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan. The case dates back to July 2024, when Rajasthan Police seized 567 kilograms of cannabis from a mini-truck during a highway checkpoint operation in Rawanjana Dungar. Along with the truck, an escort vehicle was also intercepted. While five people involved in transporting the drugs were arrested on the spot, Shah, who was allegedly piloting the truck using a separate vehicle to guide and monitor the route, managed to escape.
After his escape, Shah went underground, frequently changing his locations to avoid being tracked. He started working as a cab driver in Delhi-NCR to maintain a low profile and keep his movements unnoticed by law enforcement agencies. According to a senior police officer, he successfully blended into the city’s daily life while continuing to operate in the illegal drug network during the night.
During interrogation, Shah revealed that he was originally from Begusarai, Bihar. He had moved to Delhi with his father, who was employed at a gas agency. Shah studied until Class 11 in Janakpuri and later worked at a jeans design factory. Eventually, he started driving Gramin Sewa vehicles and cabs, which he used as a front for his illegal drug-related activities.
Further investigation also revealed that this was not Shah’s first involvement in a drug trafficking case. He was previously booked under the NDPS Act in Haryana’s Nuh district, where 313 kilograms of cannabis were recovered in May 2022. Despite that case, Shah managed to remain active in the drug trade.
His arrest is considered a significant breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown against interstate narcotics networks. Authorities believe that Shah was part of a larger syndicate and are currently probing his connections to uncover more individuals involved in similar operations.
Police officials have stated that Shah will be handed over to the Rajasthan Police for further investigation and legal proceedings.