Delhi couple on 'family trip' transports Rs 7.5 crore heroin, held along with receiver

"During the search, police recovered 303 grams of heroin from the couple's possession. A further 1,007 grams of heroin was found concealed in a bag on the car's back seat," an official said.

New Delhi: Delhi Police has arrested a husband-wife duo when they were transporting heroin worth Rs 7.5 crore to the national capital under the cover of a family trip, an official said on Wednesday.

Police have arrested three people -- including the couple and a receiver -- and recovered a total of 1.504 kilograms of heroin from them, the official said.

The accused have been identified as Arif Khan (46) and his wife Shikha Ali (30), both residents of Naraina in Delhi, as well as Jumman (32) from the Bhalswa Dairy area.

Giving details of the arrest, the official said, "The crime branch had received specific inputs that Arif would be transporting a huge quantity of heroin from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly and supplying it in Ghaziabad's Loni and different parts of Delhi. The accused used a taxi to transport the contraband at night. His wife accompanied him to avoid suspicion of law enforcement officers, whom they thought would assume it to be a family travelling together," the official said.

After receiving the information, the crime branch team reconnoitred the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Bhopura border and analysed the route and timing of the vehicle's entry into Delhi.

Late into the night of February 10, they intercepted the car entering Delhi from the Ghaziabad side and apprehended its occupants, Arif and Shikha.

"During the search, police recovered 303 grams of heroin from the couple's possession. A further 1,007 grams of heroin was found concealed in a bag on the car's back seat," the official said.

During interrogation, Arif disclosed details about his suppliers and receivers.

He revealed that he got the heroin from a Bareilly-based kingpin and delivered it to contacts in Ghaziabad and Delhi. He also told the team that he had supplied 500 grams of heroin on February 7 to Jumman in the Bhalswa Dairy area.

Based on technical analysis and CCTV footage, police traced Jumman to his residence. Police apprehended him after a raid carried out on Tuesday and after searching his house, recovered 194 grams of heroin from the premises.

Police said Arif, a graduate, had earlier worked as an accountant in Ghazipur but lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic. So he purchased a taxi and began operating it. During this period, he allegedly came in contact with the Bareilly-based supplier and began transporting heroin for monetary gains.

Shikha was aware of the illegal activity and accompanied her husband during the transportation of the consignment to avoid suspicion.

Jumman, an electrician by profession, allegedly procured heroin through Arif and sold it in small packets near railway lines in Bhalswa Dairy.

Efforts are underway to identify and arrest others linked to the couple's activities.