A major drug bust in Patna leads to the arrest of two individuals and the seizure of narcotics worth approximately ₹25 crore, exposing a sophisticated drug processing and distribution network.
Key Points
- Two individuals were arrested in Patna after a police raid uncovered approximately ₹25 crore worth of narcotics.
- The drug operation involved processing brown sugar with adulterants in a rented premises before distribution.
- Police seized 1.68 kg of brown sugar, 16 kg of brown sugar in 'stone form', and 3.5 kg of adulterants, along with cash and mixer-grinders.
- A police officer is under investigation for alleged involvement in the drug operation, suspected of facilitating supplies from Uttar Pradesh.
- Authorities are investigating a larger network to identify the kingpins and financiers behind the drug syndicate.
Two persons were arrested in Patna with drugs worth around Rs 25 crore, police said on Saturday.
The arrests were made during a raid conducted at an apartment in the Alamganj police station area, they said.
The accused were identified as Jitendra Kumar of Samastipur district and Nitish Kumar of Jehanabad.
Police said Jitendra was arrested around five years ago with about 9 kg of smack and had spent several months in jail in that case.
SSP Kartikeya Sharma told reporters that the raid at the Alamganj flat led to the seizure of 1.68 kg of brown sugar, along with cash.
Drug Processing and Distribution Network Uncovered
During interrogation, the accused told the investigators that they used a rented room in the Ram Krishna Nagar police station area to process large quantities of smack, by mixing adulterants before distributing it to different locations, he said.
"When a police team raided the rented premises, about 16 kg of brown sugar in 'stone form' and around 3.5 kg of adulterants used for mixing were recovered. Large mixer-grinders used in the process were also seized," he added.
According to police, the Ram Krishna Nagar premises was used for processing the narcotics, while the Alamganj flat served as a distribution point within the city.
Police Officer Under Investigation
Sharma said the name of a police officer has also surfaced during the investigation.
"We have recovered blank cheques and cheques worth around Rs 70 lakh in his name. As per the statements of the arrested persons, he was allegedly involved in the operation and is suspected to have facilitated supplies from Uttar Pradesh," the SSP said.
The officer has reportedly been absent from duty for the past eight to nine months and has not been cooperating with investigators, he said.
Ongoing Investigation into Larger Syndicate
Sharma said the scale of the operation indicated the involvement of a larger network.
"An operation involving such large investments cannot be managed by just two individuals. We are examining both forward and backward linkages to identify the kingpins and financiers behind the syndicate," he said.
Police have so far identified around six persons in the supply chain and about 15-20 individuals allegedly involved in the distribution of the narcotics.
