© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In a joint operation between the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Special Cell (Counter Intelligence) unit of the Delhi Police, a transnational drugs racket was busted and meth worth over Rs 260 crore was seized from a flat in South Delhi’s Chattarpur area, officials said on Sunday, adding that two persons have been arrested. The operation drew praise from Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
In a post on X, he wrote, “Our govt is shattering drug cartels at unprecedented pace. Fiercely pursuing the top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top approach to the investigation of drugs, a breakthrough was achieved by seizing 328 kg of methamphetamine worth ₹262 crore in New Delhi and arresting two. The operation was a brilliant example of seamless multi-agency coordination to achieve PM Modi Ji’s vision for a drug-free India. Congratulations to the joint team of NCB and Delhi Police.”
According to the police, the case — a part of ‘Operation Crystal Fortress’ —was cracked with the apprehension of Shane, a sales manager from Uttar Pradesh who was in touch with foreign handlers to distribute drugs in the Capital. A Nagaland woman was arrested later.
“Shane said that he used to receive instructions from his boss and was directed to use fake SIM cards and communication apps like WhatsApp and Zangi for operating discreetly,” a police officer said.
Nabbed on Thursday, Shane told police and NCB officers about a Nagaland woman identified as Esther Kimmi,43, who transported a meth consignment to him using an app-based delivery service. Based on his inputs, a raid was conducted at a flat in Chattarpur by NCB officials.
“The raid led to the recovery of 328.54 kg of methamphetamine. His inputs also helped investigators understand the broader role and involvement of foreign-based operators,” the officer said.
Esther was tracked to Dimapur in Nagaland. “Esther Kinimi, originally from Midland, Dimapur, Nagaland, was operating a drug storage and delivery point from her Delhi address (in Chattarpur). She appeared before NCB Dimapur and admitted that she acted on the instructions of one person staying aboard giving drug consignments many times to others. She was arrested on Friday,” another officer said.
The handler, sources claimed, is the same as the one accused of supplying 82 kilograms of cocaine in the Capital which was busted by NCB last year.
