New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted a pan-India drug syndicate and arrested nine persons along with the recovery of 69kg heroin worth Rs 500 crore, news agency IANS reported. According to the report, the officers of Bengaluru NCB wing initially seized 7kg heroin from a female passenger who was coming from Zimbabwe. The drug was hidden in her suitcase, the officials said.
As per the report, the aforementioned woman was nabbed along with another female associate at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, on May 24. After thorough interrogation, they revealed that another bag was kept in the lodge they were put up. After search, NCB officers recovered another 6.89kg of heroin.
Information from sources showed that three more women were travelling with similar consignment from Bengaluru to Delhi and had got off near Itarsi, Madhya Pradesh, following which the Indore zonal team recovered 21kg heroin and arrested those women.
Further investigation led to the whereabout of the handler who was arrested from KIA Bengaluru. After interrogation, he revealed the details of their Nigerian kingpin and other such handlers in Delhi.
The NCB officers said that further probe showed that their kingpin used to ask the Indian handler to organise female carriers who would fly abroad and bring such luggage concealed with drugs.
They were even paid for such trips along with all the travel expenses by the cartel.
"The NCB Team was successful in nabbing the Nigerian kingpin of this Heroin racket and three more female African associates. In this operation 34.89 kg of high-grade heroin was seized, eight persons arrested and three more African ladies were apprehended from various locations of Bengaluru, Itarsi and Delhi," IANS quoted an NCB official as saying.
"Thus, based on one single input, NCB managed to successfully bust and neutralized the entire Heroin syndicate operating across India," the NCB official added. Further investigation on the case is underway, he said.