33-yr-old who ‘romanced’ prospective peddlers, arrested with MD drugs

Jaipur: In a coordinated crackdown to bust a narcotics network, Jaipur police Monday arrested a 33-year-old woman who romanced ‘unsuspecting' young men and manipulated them into being recruited as drug peddlers.DCP North, Karan Sharma, said the accused, Meenu Gupta, claimed she worked as a Homeguard volunteer, where she allegedly lured young men into a "love trap", gradually gaining their trust before pushing them into supplying narcotics across Jaipur.According to police, Gupta did not merely recruit, but also trained youth in how to evade law enforcement, coached them on delivery patterns and intimidated them by claiming high-level connections. The network targeted posh localities, schools, colleges and factory zones — areas with a steady flow of young clientele.Officers said the syndicate functioned with precision. New recruits were identified and approached at cafés and tea stalls. Once drawn in, they were used as foot soldiers to deliver drugs at multiple locations, while Gupta maintained remote surveillance to ensure consignments reached buyers without detection.The breakthrough came after police teams embedded themselves undercover in these social spaces. Posing as acquaintances and frequenting the same cafés, officers gradually gained the confidence of the accused. Under the pretext of casual meetings over tea and coffee, they mapped the syndicate's operations, movements and modus operandi.Acting on specific inputs during the investigation, a police team arrested Gupta from Hanuman Nagar-II in Lalchandpura and recovered 125 grams of MD (mephedrone) from her possession. In the broader operation linked to the network, police also seized a total of 150 grams of MD, nearly 2 kg of ganja and a Suzuki Access scooter used in distribution.