Inter-state drug cartel busted, 10 kg heroin worth Rs 50 crore seized: Delhi Police

New Delhi: Three men have been arrested from Manipur with 10 kilograms of high-grade heroin worth over Rs 50 crore in the international market, an official said on Thursday.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police has claimed to dismantle an inter-state narcotics syndicate with the arrest of -- Mitralal Khatiwoda alias Manoj (45), Krishna Neopani (21), and Akash Karki (25) -- all residents of Manipur.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik said the Special Cell unit had been tracking an inter-state drug network operating across Manipur, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR.

The syndicate was actively involved in smuggling heroin from Myanmar into India via Manipur and further distributing it across different states, Kaushik said.

He said investigators spent more than four to five months gathering intelligence through technical and manual surveillance. During this period, police teams visited West Bengal and Manipur multiple times to track the movement of the traffickers and develop local sources.

On January 23, a raiding team was formed based on a tip-off about Mitralal and Akash, who were planning to deliver a heroin consignment in Delhi's Mangolpuri Industrial Area, the officer said.

The two arrived at the designated spot in an e-rickshaw along with their associate Krishna and as soon as they were identified by the informer, police apprehended all the three suspects, he added.

A thorough search led to the recovery of 10 kilograms of high-quality heroin, hidden inside their belongings, he said, adding that a case was registered an investigation was launched.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that they were part of a well-organised drug syndicate that smuggled heroin from Myanmar into India, DCP Kaushik said.

The operation began with raw opium being procured from the Myanmar border, which was then processed into heroin in Thoubal, Manipur, police said.

The drug was subsequently transported via carriers to Dimapur (Nagaland), Guwahati (Assam), and Siliguri (West Bengal), before reaching Delhi-NCR, officials said.

Traffickers concealed heroin in secret cavities within trucks to evade detection, making it nearly impossible to spot during routine checks, police said.