The Punjab Police has today cracked down on another multi-crore international synthetic drug racket with the arrest of three Delhi-based persons. The unveiling of this Delhi-based international drug racket follows close on the heels of neutralizing of the Jagdish Bhola-controlled drug network last month.Disclosing this here today, Mr. Paramjit Singh Gill, IGP, Patiala Zone said that this important and major break-through in the drive against drug trafficking follows systematic and meticulous investigations by the Punjab Police with the objective of exposure of drug networks in a complete and end-to-end manner from source of supply to the distribution network. The Punjab Police had started a two-tier interrogation of drug smugglers from October 14 onwards, with the smugglers being questioned firstly by the district police, followed by sustained interrogation by officials of the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) in the Joint Interrogation Center at Amritsar. So far, over 100 smugglers have been interrogated. These interrogations have yielded valuable information about the various cogs in the different drug networks so as to enable the Punjab Police to smash these drug networks in an end-to-end manner, from source of supply to the distribution network. The focus was not limited to the State of Punjab. Networks operating in other parts of the country were also being detected and action being taken, he added.
Gill revealed that the kingpin of the Delhi-based module was one Dev Behl, based in Chander Lok, New Delhi who came under the scanner of Punjab Police which mounted an intelligence-based operation. Besides, Dev Behl r/o Chander Lok, New Delhi two other persons namely Rakesh Tinku r/o Subhash Nagar, New Delhi and Mohinder r/o Una, Himachal Pradesh (Driver of Dev Behl) have been arrested. While Dev Behl and Rakesh Tinku were today arrested from Delhi, Mohinder was arrested from Una, HP.He informed that the preliminary questioning of arrested persons has revealed a major international drug racket based in New Delhi which was obtaining raw materials (precursor chemicals ephedrine and pseudoephedrine), converting them into synthetic drugs like ICE (M-amphetamine), and, supplying them to international markets including Canada since the last three years by adopting innovative camouflaging techniques. Investigations carried out so far have disclosed that at least three consignments of synthetic drugs were funnelled to Canada by this drug network and one of the recipients of the contrabands has been identified as Iqbal Singh @ Pala of Canada.
He further informed that according to the preliminary interrogation, Dev Behl was the kingpin of the international drug racket. He was an influential Delhi-based businessman with varied interests. Earlier, he owned a pharmaceutical company. He has a big house in Delhi spread over one acre and had deployed private security for his protection. He has a 20-room hotel (Royal Farm) and a marriage palace in HP, and a 8 acre marriage palace (also named Royal Farm) on Karnal road, Delhi, apart from other business interests. Rakesh Tinku was an associate of Dev Behl who worked for him, while Mohinder was the driver of Dev Behl. Rakesh Tinku has a garment export licence in Delhi.He said that the accused have been booked under appropriate sections of law in district Patiala. The arrested persons would be produced before the concerned court where police remand for their further custodial interrogation would be sought. He said that based on inputs received from the arrested persons, police parties have been dispatched to various places in Delhi and other states to conduct further raids, make arrests and seize synthetic drugs/precursor chemicals on the disclosure of the accused.Further investigations were ongoing and necessary liaison was being done with the Delhi police in this regard, he added.