17.5 kg MDMA seized in major drug bust, 8 held

The Bengaluru City Police have busted an inter-State drug smuggling network and arrested eight persons, including three foreign nationals, in connection with the seizure of 17.5 kg of MDMA valued at ₹17.5 crore, with an estimated market value of nearly ₹35 crore. The accused have been identified as Reena Yadav, 50, from West Delhi; Debashish Banerjee, 66, from New Delhi; Mohammed Mansoor P., 30, from Bengaluru; Danfa Gerald, a Senegal national; Magreth Liginiko Chale, a Tanzania national; Dheeraj, 30, from Delhi; Obianuju Rita Okeke, 34, from Delhi; and Abdul Sammed, 38, from Dakshina Kannada district. The police said six accused, including three foreign nationals, were arrested from Delhi and Haryana, while two others were arrested in Karnataka. Addressing reporters on May 20, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said the operation was one of the biggest drug seizures made by the city police under the supervision of Joint Commissioner of Police (West) C. Vamsi Krishna. According to the police, the case was cracked following an investigation into a recent narcotics case registered in Yeshwantpur, in which nine persons had earlier been arrested. How it unfolded Officials of Hebbal Police Station received information on May 11 that three persons were selling banned narcotic substances from a car parked near an apartment at Unnathi Layout in Anand Nagar. Based on the tip-off, the police conducted a raid and detained three accused. During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that they had procured MDMA at a lower price from Delhi and were selling it in Bengaluru at higher rates. The police seized 4.18 kg of MDMA, a car used for the crime, and four mobile phones from their possession. The three accused were later taken into police custody for further interrogation. Based on information provided by them, the police conducted a search at a residence in Chikkanayakanahalli on May 14 and recovered an additional 10.12 kg of MDMA. Further investigation led police teams to Haryana and Delhi, where four more accused, including foreign nationals allegedly involved in supplying the narcotics, were taken into custody. After obtaining transit remand, the accused were brought to Bengaluru on May 17. The police said another accused was subsequently arrested near a hospital in Hennur on May 18. Based on his confession, police recovered an additional 3.2 kg of MDMA from his residence. Efforts are under way to trace other absconding accused linked to the network. The operation was carried out under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (North Division) B.S. Nemagouda and Assistant Commissioner of Police K.S. Tanveer. The investigation team was led by Inspector Bhaira of Hebbal Police Station. Singh announced a cash reward of ₹2 lakh to the team and said the probe is on to trace the multi-level layers of the drug racket.