518 kg drugs worth Rs 5000 crore recovered in Gujarat, 5 arrested
New Delhi (PTI): In a joint operation of Delhi and Gujarat Police, at least 518 kilograms of cocaine worth around Rs 5000 crore were recovered from Gujarat's Ankleshwar on Sunday and five people were arrested, officials said.
The officials said the new seizure was connected to the recovery of 700 kilograms of cocaine in Delhi. With this, 1,289 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of hydroponic marijuana, worth more than Rs 13,000 crore, have been recovered so far. The number of arrests in this connection has risen to 12.
Sources said this is believed to the biggest-ever seizure by any agency in the country.
According to a Delhi Police officer, during investigations into the previous seizure of 700 kg of cocaine, the Special Cell found the drugs were brought from Avkar Drugs Limited Company in Ankleshwar.
On Sunday, a team of the Special Cell was sent to Gujarat and the cocaine was recovered from the company's godown, the officer said, adding five people were also arrested from the spot.
Police said the accused are being further interrogated regarding the alleged international syndicate running from Dubai and UK.
On October 2, the Special Cell seized more than 560 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of hydroponic marijuana estimated to be worth Rs 5,620 crore from a godown in south Delhi's Mahipalpur and arrested four people. Two others were subsequently apprehended from Amritsar and Chennai.
Then in the second big drugs haul in a week, the Special Cell seized 208 kg of cocaine worth Rs 2,080 crore from a rented shop in west Delhi on Thursday.
On Thursday, police arrested one more person from Uttar Pradesh's Hapur. He was the seventh person to be arrested in the case.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
