Raipur police bust inter-state drug network, seven arrested

Raipur: Raipur police on Tuesday busted an inter-state synthetic drugs network under the Nijaat campaign, which led to arrests of seven people, including a supplier from Nigeria. Cops have also seized a huge amount of drugs, including MDMA, from the accused. The anti-crime and cyber unit (ACCU) executed raids at various locations including Kasol and Manali in Himachal Pradesh, and Uttam Nagar in Delhi. These coordinated efforts aimed to trace and arrest all individuals involved in the drug supply chain, Raipur SSP Santosh Singh said.The operation began on Sept 23, when three suspects—Shubham Soni (alias Pablo Escobar), Abhishek Sahu, and Sonu Agrawal—were arrested in the state capital's Tikrapara area. Cops had seized four packets of hashish, 98 MDMA tablets, 65 grams of MDMA (cocaine), a pistol with a magazine, two smartphones, an electronic weighing scale, and various other items, valued at approximately Rs 16 lakh from them.Two days later, on Sept 25, supplier Aryan Thakre was also arrested after the police tracked his operations in Raipur. The arrests followed a detailed probe into the drug supply chain. Interrogations of arrested suspects revealed a wider network operating out of Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. A special team was then sent to northern India, leading to the arrest of a 24-year-old Amandeep Singh Chhabra and Ashok Yadav, 30, in Himachal Pradesh. Chhabra is a native of Raipur and Yadav hails from Mungeli district. The duo ran a hotel business in HP.Following the links provided by the arrested accused, cops traced a key accused in Delhi, who supplied drugs. After the raid, cops arrested him in Delhi's Uttam Nagar, confiscating a total of 124 grams MDMA from Innocent Olochukwu, a native of Nigeria, with an estimated value of Rs 25 lakh. They also seized a mobile phone used in the operation.Olochukwu, 33, a resident of Lagos State in Nigeria, has emerged as a central figure in this operation. His arrest marks a significant breakthrough in dismantling the MDMA supply chain in the region, police said. Olochukwu used to run a hookah pot bar, where the illegal drug marker received a boost, He also came in touch with Yadav and Amandeep here. The inter-state operation, which spanned around seven to eight days, revealed the drug supply chain network links from northern states to Chhattisgarh. All the accused were booked under sections of Narcotics Act and Arms Act.