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New Delhi: The Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted an inter-state gang involved in smuggling contraband ganja by arresting three drug traffickers.

The Police have seized from the possession of those arrested 1060 kg of ganja worth over Rs. 1 crore, a pickup lorry, a Skoda and a Honda City car that was being used by them for transporting ganja.

Among those arrested is Naga Vankata Kumar (33), a most wanted criminal of Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh. The others nabbed by the police are Rohit (22), resident of Begum Vihar in Delhi and Sunny (22), resident of Inderpuri in Delhi.

The Crime Branch of Delhi Police had launched a special drive to identify the persons involved in large scale illegal smuggling of contraband Narcotic Drugs and substances and unearth such rackets. For this purpose, under the overall supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajiv Sharma a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Jitender Singh, and comprising of Inspector Puran Pant, sub-inspectors SanjayDahiya, Ajit Singh, Assistant sub-inspectrs Surender, Shaymlal, Bahadur Sharma, head constables Virender Kumar, Narender, Bijender, Satish, Anil, constables Praminder Singh, Sonu, Raman, and Anil was constituted.

The team collected information through different sources and identified certain persons. Following intensive field work, it was confirmed that one Dharambir of Inderpuri was running a huge racket dealing in contraband Ganja. It was further confirmed that the traffickers were smuggling Ganja in bulk from Andhra Pradesh or Orissa. More inputs were collected to establish how and when the gang would be smuggling Ganja and it was gathered that some member of the gang had gone to Andhra Pradesh to smuggle Ganja in bulk to Delhi by a truck before the Holi festival to make a quick buck.

On receiving information that a truck was likely to reach A- Block, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-1 in Delhi with a huge consignment of contraband Ganja smuggled from Andhra Pradesh. The information was that the ganja would be hidden in the truck in gunny bags of wet nariyal (coconut) by Dharambir of Inderpuri and that it would be unloaded at a godown and disposed off immediately on the spot by handing it over to prospective buyers.

On this tipoff the POlice tyeam swung into action and zeroed in on the target. After reccee around midnight, the team nabbed Rohit and Sunny, whereas Dharambir managed to flee under the cover of darkness. One truck (No.BR-06G-8798, TATA 2158C), a Honda City car (DL-4C-AH-2622) and a Skoda Laura (DL-3C-AY-6702) containing bags of contraband Ganja were also seized from the spot. A total of 53 bags filled with 1060 kg of contraband Ganja were recovered.

A case (FIR No. 33/16 was registered on 20 March 2016 against those arrested under Sections 20, 25 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act.

On interrogation, both the accused disclosed that the kingpin of the racket dealing in illegal smuggling and distribution of contraband Ganja is Dharambir. The recovered bulk ofcontraband Ganja was transported from Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh to Delhi by Truck under the cover of transportation of wet nariyal (coconut) bags. If this consignment had not have been intercepted in time,the bulk of transported contraband Ganja would have been distributed/disposed off within next 15-30 minutes. Accused Rohit further disclosed that the recovered Ganja was smuggled from Andhra Pradesh and their source of supplier at AP are Kumar, Kiran and Sriniwas, but their addresses were not disclosed by him.

The Police obtained remand of Rohit and he was taken to Andhra Pradesh for search of Kumar, Kiran and Sriniwas. Subsequently Naga Vankata Kumar resident of MIG-139, Uda Colony, Rajiv Nagar, Vijaywada, In Andhra Pradesh was traced and arrested. He was produced before the concerned Magistrate in Vijaywada and brought to Delhi.

Police took further remand of Naga Vankata Kumar and brought him to Andhra Pradesh to launch a search for his accomplices Sriniwas and Kiran.

Naga Vankata Kumar is wanted by the Ibrahimpatnam police station of Vijaywada for a case registered under FIR no 29/16 registered on 22 January and another case registered under FIR No. 49/16 23 January this year by the Patamata Police station in Vijaywada. In both thesecases Sriniwas, alias Narla Vomsi Krishna is also wanted by the Vijaywada police. Narla Vomsi Krishna is one of the most wanted criminals of Vijaywada and further efforts are on to trace him.