Drug smuggling under the guise of ‘family trip’ busted, heroin worth Rs 7.5 crore seized, 3 people caught by crime branch

Drugs smuggling has been exposed in Delhi. Under the pretext of a family trip, a couple was bringing heroin worth crores to the capital. An attempt was made to avoid suspicion by making the wife sit with him, but the vigilance of the crime branch spoiled the whole game.

The police officer said, the smugglers had adopted a unique method to avoid arrest. Accused Arif Khan (36) used to travel with his wife Shikha Ali (30) in a Wagon-R car bearing taxi number, so that the police do not get suspicious and stop them considering them to be an ordinary family. To avoid suspicion, he used to make his wife sit with him. He often brought consignments from Bareilly in the dark of night and supplied them to Delhi-NCR.

Three people involved in this racket have been arrested, including a couple. The accused have been identified as Arif Khan, 46, resident of Naraina, his wife Shikha Ali, 30, and Jumman, 32, resident of Bhalswa Dairy area. 1.504 kg heroin has been recovered from their possession.

The price of this heroin in the international market is said to be around Rs 7.5 crore. The Crime Branch had received input that Arif was going to take a huge quantity of heroin from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh and supply it to Loni in Ghaziabad and different areas of Delhi. The accused used to carry drugs by taxi at night.

Late night of 10 February, a car entering Delhi from Ghaziabad was stopped. Arif and Shikha were traveling in it. Upon search, 303 grams of heroin was recovered from them. Another 1007 grams of heroin was found in a bag kept on the back seat of the car. During interrogation, Arif gave information about the supplier and receiver.

Arif revealed that he used to get heroin from a kingpin of Bareilly. He used to supply it to his contacts in Ghaziabad and Delhi. He also told that on February 7, he had given 500 grams of heroin to Jumman in Bhalswa Dairy area. Shikha had full knowledge of this illegal business. She used to accompany her husband during every consignment to protect him from the police. Whereas Jumman is an electrician by profession. After purchasing heroin from Arif, he used to make small packets and sell them in Bhalswa Dairy near the railway lines.