25 CCTV cameras, patrolling men with walkie-talkies: How Surat ‘drug lord’ evaded arrest

Police also seized Rs 16 lakh, 120 grams of mephedrone (a synthetic drug) and two pistols from his house.

After several failed attempts to arrest Zala, police sources said they devised a different strategy to arrest him. First, cops talked to local youths of the Bhatena area and learnt about the security cover placed by Zala. The police team did a recce of the area and found the CCTV cameras in 25 locations.

On Tuesday, the Surat Special Operation Group (SOG) got information that Zala was present in his house. Acting on a plan, 25 policemen in plain clothes travelled on 15 bikes to the narrow roads near his house close to the overbridge built on Koili Creek.

All six routes leading to Zala’s house were screened by police.

SOG police inspector A P Chaudhary said, “We have earlier identified the escape routes of Zala and a group of police personnel were deployed on all six escape routes, including the way to Koli Creek and its bridge so that he could not give us a slip this time.”
“We parked our bikes at different locations around a 100-metre radius of his house. A group of policemen, led by me, reached the narrow lane leading to his house. The main door of his house was open and a police team barged in and overpowered Zala,” Chaudhary said, adding that he was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Arms Act. According to police,  Zala was involved in various crimes including  murder, attempt-to-murder, robbery and drugs trade. A total of 16 cases had been registered against him.

“Shiva had been known as a messiah in the Bhatena area, where low-income group families reside. He used to help the residents financially for marriage, medical treatment and other needs. The Bhatena area is dominated by people from the minority community.  He has good clout among the locals and nobody dared to raise their voice against him,” Chaudhary said.

Police sources said that Zala is the youngest son of a tempo driver, Bhupendrasinh Zala, hailing from Dhandhuka taluka in Ahmedabad district. Police said that long ago, his father migrated from Dhandhuka to Surat and settled in the Bhatena area. He has three other sons.

Chaudhary added, “Zala used to buy drugs from a person in Mumbai. Drug peddlers used to come to his place and buy drugs directly. He was selling drugs only to known peddlers and also kept watch of their movements. We are trying to dig out more information from him and identify the peddlers involved with him.”