Bikaner police arrest 2 in city in Rs 70-cr int’l heroin racket

NJaipur: Bikaner police arrested two men from Jaipur Wednesday in connection with a reported Rs 70-crore international heroin racket that surfaced after a road accident in Bikaner on April 22.

Police said accused Rahul Rawat and Prashant Kayal were both employed as caterers in Jaipur while simultaneously working as “drug delivery agents” for Rakesh Prajapat, the main accused in the case, who is currently absconding.

The case dates back to April 22, when a 32-year-old man was injured after colliding with a nilgai on Pugal Road of Bikaner. Police recovered 14 kg of heroin concealed inside his scooter during a subsequent search. The injured rider was identified as Khetaram Meghwal.

Meghwal remains admitted at PBM Hospital and a record of his statement is still pending because he has not yet regained full consciousness. Sources said that during brief spells of awareness, he utters his girlfriend’s name and phone number repeatedly before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Investigators are currently questioning Rawat and Kayal to establish the details of the racket’s wider network stretching beyond Rajasthan.

Police said their interrogation so far has pointed to a network that relied on covert cross-border methods. Investigators suspect the racket relies on heroin consignments being dropped via drone by Pakistani operatives from across the international border in Khajuwala, with Meghwal responsible for its onward transportation.

They said the smugglers used a scooter registered in the name of a Bikaner resident to avoid suspicion while transporting the contraband. Police are now tracing others who may have provided them with logistical support.

Preliminary findings indicate Prajapat had tasked his operatives with picking up heroin consignments from the Khajuwala border and transporting them to Punjab. Police said he had earlier been lodged in a Punjab jail, where he established links with operatives tied to Pakistan-based smuggling networks, before resuming drug-running operations after his release.

Police records show Prajapat faces seven cases in Rajasthan and Punjab related to dacoity. Investigators suspect the network’s footprint may extend to Delhi and Bengaluru.

The probe into the Rs 70-crore seizure remains ongoing, with several suspects currently under detention.
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