Drug cartel, kingpin busted, Rs 1 cr heroin seized: Cops

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has arrested the kingpin of an Afghan-based international Drug Cartel. An anonymous source tipped the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police about the drug cartel.

The accused was identified as Hasan Reza alias Haji Hamid (43) resident of Kabul, Afghanistan.

According to the Police, Reza was apprehended in Lajpat Nagar, Delhi, where authorities recovered 512 grams of heroin valued at over Rs 1 crore in the international market. The case, registered at the Crime Branch marks a critical breakthrough in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking. Acting on intelligence gathered over a sustained period, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), under the supervision of ACP Prabhat Sinha, and ACP Naresh Kumar, had been monitoring drug trafficking activities in Delhi.

Their efforts bore fruit when Sub-Inspector Vikasdeep received a tip-off about Hasan Reza’s plans to deliver a large quantity of heroin near Sant Kanwar Ram Mandir, Jal Vihar Road, Lajpat Nagar, between 9:00 - 9:30 pm.

A police team, led by Inspector Rakesh Duhan and comprising SIs Vishan Kumar, Vikasdeep, HCs Naresh, Sikander, Ravi, and Uma Chaudhary, promptly set up a raid in the Lajpat Nagar area.

Acting on the information, they laid a trap and successfully apprehended Reza. A search of the transparent polythene bag he was carrying revealed 512 grams of heroin concealed inside a juice packet.