Delhi: Sikkim-based man arrested in Rs 13,000 crore drug trafficking case
New Delhi (PTI): The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has arrested a key accused from Sikkim in connection with a massive Rs 13,000 crore international narcotics smuggling case linked to the seizure of a massive consignment of cocaine, mephedrone and Thai marijuana, an official said on Monday.
The accused, Tilak Prasad Sharma (35), a resident of East Pendam in Sikkim, was apprehended after a sustained inter-state operation following the execution of a non-bailable warrant issued against him by a Delhi court, police said.
Sharma was wanted in an FIR registered at a Special Cell police station in 2024 under various provisions of the NDPS Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Police said the case pertains to the recovery of 1,290 kg of cocaine and mephedrone and 40 kg of Thai marijuana, exposing the operations of an international drug cartel with links spanning Pakistan, the UK, Malaysia, Thailand, the UAE and India.
"So far, 17 accused have been arrested in the case, while several others, including foreign-based handlers, are still absconding," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said in a statement.
Police said Sharma played a crucial role as a courier in the syndicate. During the investigation, it emerged that he was actively involved in smuggling suitcases containing Thai marijuana from Thailand to India on multiple occasions.
After landing in Delhi, the contraband was allegedly handed over to Himanshu, an associate of another accused, Tushar Goyal. Two suitcases containing Thai marijuana were later recovered from a godown in Mahipalpur linked to Goyal, he said.
According to the police, further revealed that following the arrest of key cartel members in Delhi in the first week of October 2024, the syndicate's kingpin instructed Sharma to alter his travel route to evade law enforcement agencies. He was directed to travel from Thailand to Sri Lanka, then to Nepal and thereafter to India.
During this period, Sharma was apprehended by Nepal Customs at an airport with Thai marijuana and was lodged in a jail in Kathmandu. However, police said local inquiries revealed that he escaped from the Nepal jail during a phase of unrest and subsequently returned to India.
"After his return, Sharma allegedly went underground, frequently changing locations and concealing his identity to avoid arrest. A Special Cell team was later dispatched to Sikkim to execute the non-bailable warrant. On reaching his native village, the team found that no family members were residing there. Further inputs indicated that he had shifted to Namchi East in south Sikkim," the officer said.
With the assistance of local police, Sharma was traced, apprehended and produced before a local court, from where a transit remand was obtained. He was subsequently produced before a Delhi court.
Police said Sharma had studied up to Class 10 and completed an ITI course in the fitter trade. He had earlier worked as a machine operator in a pharmaceutical company in Sikkim and later travelled to Dubai on a tourist visa in search of employment, where he allegedly came in contact with members of the international narcotics syndicate.
Legal proceedings are underway, and efforts are being intensified to track down other absconding members of the cartel, including international handlers and suppliers.
A police source said that the mastermind of the syndicate, Virendra Basoya, is currently abroad, and a Red Corner Notice has been issued against his son, Rishabh, who is also outside the country. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
