Marijuana concealed in boxes of cashew nuts: Interstate racket busted in Delhi, priest among three held

The other two arrested were identified as Sonu (30), a resident of Khichripur in East Delhi, and Rudrapratap Suar alias Pappu Suar, a temple priest from Puri. The total recovery in the case stands at 165.74 kg of ganja, officers said.

According to the police, the arrests followed a tip-off received by the Crime Branch’s R K Puram unit on December 24, indicating that a ganja consignment was to be delivered in Northwest Delhi’s Mangolpuri. Acting on the information, a police team laid a trap in the area. Around 8:40 pm, Sonu and Ajeet arrived separately on scooters carrying cartons and were intercepted while shifting the boxes, police said.

A search of the cartons revealed 45 packets of cannabis weighing 47.34 kg, officers said. A case was registered under sections 20 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) at the Crime Branch police station, and both men were arrested, they added.

During questioning, Ajeet told police that the consignment had been sent from Odisha by a supplier known as Pappu Suar. According to the police, further inquiry revealed that seven more boxes linked to the same consignment had been sent through a courier service and were lying at a courier office in Delhi. A raid was conducted based on this information, leading to the recovery of an additional 118.4 kg of ganja.

Investigators then traced Suar to Odisha. After nearly three weeks of technical surveillance and fieldwork, the Crime Branch team apprehended Suar from Puri and brought him to Delhi.

Investigators claim the group had coordinated over 100 such deliveries in the past year. Two mobile phones were seized from Sonu and one from Ajeet, police said. Further investigation is underway to identify other links in the network.