International drug syndicate busted : Three Manipuris held
Over 200 kgs drugs worth 10 crore seized by Delhi Police
Source: The Sangai Express / Ninglun Hanghal

New Delhi, October 03 2013: Delhi police yesterday evening arrested three kingpins of an international drugs trafficking network namely Md Asghar alias Akser (33) s/o MB Halaluddin from Thoubal, Manipur, presently residing in Masihgarh, Jamia Nagar and Md Asker alias Shaker, an ex-airman and his cousin Abdul Kalam also from Thoubal, Manipur.

Identities of the remaining associates of the accused persons are being established to bring the case to a logical conclusion, said a release from the Dy Commissioner of Police, special cell Delhi police.

According to unofficial sources, the kingpins are closely connected with some political leaders of Manipur.

Speaking to media persons at his office chamber today, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam said that though the matter has not been intimated officially to the State Government so far, it has been established there is a drug cartel, all from Manipur, at Delhi which supplies the drugs to Myanmar through the North East region.

Earlier, Manipur was the main route, but with the recent crackdown on drug smuggling, the drug barons have changed their routes, such as Mizoram, he added.

Asghar @ Akser was tracked down by the special cell and apprehended.

Two kgs of Pseudoephedrine in loose tablet form and subsequently 5 more cartons of Pseudoephedrine drugs in tablet/strip form containing 41900 strips (419000 tablets equivalent to 50 kg of Pseudoephedrine were recovered from his car.

Subsequently, a case under FIR No. 42/13, u/ss.

9-A/22/25-A/29 NDPS Act was registered.

On October 1, 2013, upon specific information received about Asghar 's movements, the Special cell kept a watch and the next day at about 9.30 pm, the said accused in his above mentioned car was spotted and after a brief trail, apprehended and arrested.

During preliminary interrogation, Asghar revealed that he was being assisted in this activity by his two other associates namely Mohd Asker @ Shaker and Abdul Kalam and their whereabouts.

After an immediate raid conducted at Johri Farms, Noor Nagar, the two associates were apprehended while packaging another consignment of the said drugs.

12 cartons of Pseudoephedrine containing 30000 strips and 97200 strips, 127200 strips i.e.1272000 tablets weighing about 152 kgs of Pseudoephedrine along with 2 sacks of empty Pseudoephedrine strips and packing material were recovered from the two associates.

The total cost of the seized drug is estimated to be about Rs 10 Crore in the international market.

It may be recalled that in December 2012, the special team had busted a trafficking module involved in supplying Pseudoephedrine to Myanmar via Delhi.

During the interrogation of the then arrested accused persons, it was revealed that Md Asghar was the main conduit who used to procure these drugs from clandestine pharmaceutical units which were manufacturing these drugs in Muzzaffarnagar in UP, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Baddi in Himachal Pradesh.

Md Asghar used to place orders and procure these drugs from these manufacturing units in the name of fictitious pharmaceutical companies.

In spite of vigorous efforts, the slippery Asghar had given the Delhi police a hard time.

Md Asghar completed his MBA from Dehradun and is living in Delhi.

He was involved in procuring and supplying Pseudoephedrine to North Eastern States at a huge margin from where it is onward trafficked to Myanmar and China.

In early 2012, he established contact with one John, also a resident of Manipur, who agreed to join the cartel as the principal financier.

In December 2012, John was arrested by Special Cell vide FIR No.35/12 in a similar NDPS case.

Asghar's associate Md Asker was an Airman in the Indian Air Force before being declared a deserter, due to his suspected activities in the drug trade and dismissed from service.

In early 2012, he came in contact with Asghar and started working for him.

The third Abdul Kalam is a cousin and helper in the activities of co-accused Md.Asker.

He main job is to procure the substance from Kapil from Meerut and supply them to Farooq, who then send the consignments beyond the Moreh border to Myanmar.

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