Drug syndicate busted, four arrested: Noida police
Noida (UP), Dec 24 : The police here have arrested four persons, including a couple, and seized over 26 kg of cannabis from them, claiming Monday to have busted an "organised syndicate" of drug dealers operating in the national capital region,
A team from Sector 20 police station apprehended the four Sunday in a raid at their hideout in a jhhugi cluster in Noida, Sector 18, an official said.
Those arrested included Hema, the syndicate's kingpin, her husband Sanjay alias Babu and their aides Pappu and Sajid, a senior officials said, adding that a man, who claims to be a journalist, is linked to the gang but is absconding.
As much as 26.5 kg of cannabis and a cash of Rs 35,000 as sale proceed of the contraband were seized from the accused," Superintendent of Police (Crime) Ashok Kumar said.
The officer described the gangsters' hideout as a "factory-like establishment" from where, he said, 10 kg of plastic used to make small packets, packaging equipment and weighing machine too were seized.
The gang procured cannabis from Ghaziabad and Bihar, among other places, and sealed it here in small plastic packets for local sale, Kumar said.
They sold the cannabis in packages worth Rs 50, Rs 100 and Rs 200, he said.
Dubbing the couple as kingpin of the gang, the SP said they had been involved in the illegal trade for quite some time now.
The couple and their accomplices have a criminal record too, Kumar said.
Two other gang members, identified as Prakash and Lalit Mohan, are absconding," the officer said, adding the latter one claims to be a journalist.
Asked about the role of the accused who claims to be a journalist, the officer said during interrogation it has emerged that he was an active member of the gang.
He is said to have facilitated the gang's work at different places and had an important role in its operations, the SP said.
A sedan, used by Babu to ferry the cannabis across the NCR, too was impounded, the police said.
Sector 20 Station House Officer Manoj Pant said the gang was on the police radar for long and its kingpin, Hema, had a well-connected network across the NCR.
Some months back, we had carried out an operation against drug traffickers and peddlers during which we had raided several slums. Hema especially was on our target but had managed to escape then to Bihar. She has finally been caught after a long chase, Pant, who led the raid Sunday, told PTI.
He said the gang's network was so effective that the amount seized from the scene (26.5 kg) was only for a day's consumption.
Those arrested have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, among other charges, the police said.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
