"He is one of the key players in the cartel"
Delhi Police arrested a man at Amritsar Airport for his involvement in a 500kg drugs haul.
Jitendra Pal Singh, who has been living in the UK for the past 17 years, was arrested as he tried to leave India.
The 40-year-old is the fifth suspect to be arrested in the drugs case, said to be worth Rs. 5,000 Crore (£452 million).
Singh, who also goes by the name Jassi, had been in India to oversee the drug cartel’s operations but after hearing four of his associates had been arrested.
Tushar Goyal was arrested on October 2, 2024.
After his arrest, investigators came across photos of Goyal posing with Congress Party leaders.
This triggered a political row, with the BJP hitting out at the opposition.
Congress denied any association with Goyal and urged the BJP to “stop misleading the country with lies and deception”.
Himanshu Kumar, Aurangzeb Siddiqui and Bharat Kumar Jain were the other suspects arrested.
Police said this drugs syndicate operates out of Delhi and Mumbai.
It also has links to Dubai.
Virendra Basoya, who lives in Dubai, has been identified as another suspect.
Believed to be a leading figure in the crime group, Basoya was arrested in an unrelated case but was released on bail.
In 2023, police raided properties in Delhi and seized drugs worth Rs. 3,000 (£271 million).
This raid came a day after Basoya’s son married the daughter of an ex-MLA.
Informed about the raid, Basoya allegedly fled to Dubai.
Goyal and Basoya are understood to be friends.
According to police, it was Basoya who introduced Goyal to the drugs operation and offered to pay him Rs. 3 Crore per delivery of the 100 consignments.
Basoya allegedly instructed Singh to go to India to oversee the operation.
A Delhi Police spokesperson said: “Jassi is directly linked to the Dubai handlers.
“He is one of the key players in the cartel and has been living in the UK for more than a decade.
“He planned on leaving India later in October, after ensuring that instructions from Dubai were followed.
“But after the bust, he tried to flee from Amritsar airport.”
The investigation found that the arrested suspects were planning to sell the drugs during concerts, raves and upscale locations in Delhi and other metropolitan cities.
A manhunt is underway to trace other members of the group.
According to police, around a dozen people from India and abroad were allegedly involved in the international syndicate of smuggling drugs from Middle Eastern countries to India.
Police are also exploring possible links between Basoya and the notorious crime group D-Company, which is controlled by Dawood Ibrahim.
Loading ...