NEW DELHI, July 10: An army constable, his girlfriend and an accomplice of his were arrested in Delhi’s Kalindi Kunj area for smuggling opium worth Rs 1 crore in an SUV on Thursday, an official said.
The arrested constable, Godhu Ram (31), had allegedly been on the run from the Indian Army for the past nine months and had been using his leave period to facilitate the smuggling of opium from Manipur to Rajasthan and Delhi-NCR, he said.
The trio was arrested near Kalindi Kunj area on July 7 when they were intercepted in the SUV car, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Aalap Patel said, adding that a concealed consignment of 18 kg opium was recovered from their possession.
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“The gang had modified the vehicle by creating secret compartments beneath the floor mats to discreetly transport the contraband,” Patel added.
During the search, the police team also recovered a licensed pistol of 0.32 bore along with six live cartridges from the vehicle. The SUV and the weapon were registered in Ram’s name, he said.
The arrests were made on a tip-off received by Delhi Police’s Special Cell (Southern Range). Acting on the information, a trap was laid near Agra Canal Road in the Kalindi Kunj area on July 7.
“On spotting the vehicle, the team swiftly cordoned it off and apprehended all three occupants. Upon checking, 18 packets of high-grade opium were recovered, hidden beneath the floor mats of the car,” the DCP added.
A case under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was registered at the Special Cell Police Station, New Delhi.
According to investigators, the seized consignment was procured from a supplier based in Manipur and was intended for distribution across Delhi-NCR, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Initial interrogation revealed that the accused had been part of a well-organised supply chain and used the cover of personal travel to avoid detection.
Police said that none of the three accused have any prior criminal records.
Further investigation is underway to identify the larger network and the source of procurement. (PTI)
