Bengaluru: The Anti-Narcotic Wing of the Bengaluru police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested three suspected drug peddlers, including a Nigerian national. They seized narcotics worth an estimated Rs 50 lakh, officials said on Thursday.
In the first case, sleuths arrested Ogunpa Adesoji, 45, who was allegedly peddling methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and ecstasy pills. A well-placed source said that Adesoji entered the country on a business visa in 2019 and overstayed even after it expired in 20, with an extension.
“He is yet to tell us which city he first entered with the business visa,” the official said. “But we suspect that he must have entered from Delhi as his details were not available with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) here.”
Anti-narcotics officials recovered 180 grams of MDMA crystals and 150 ecstasy pills, weighing 58 grams, from Adesoji.
A case has been registered at the Hennur police station under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Foreigners Act.
In the second case, CCB officers arrested Rakesh Kumar Mahapatra, 26, and Lakshmidhar, 23. The two hailed from Odisha and arrived in Bengaluru six months ago.
CCB officials said the duo operated as street vendors in the Marathahalli area and entered the ganja peddling business to make a quick buck. A police source said that the duo smuggled ganja on a train from Odisha.
"They deboarded two or three stops before the City (Majestic) station to avoid suspicion,” the officer said. "From there, they brought the smuggled narcotics in an autorickshaw or other transport modes and stored it in a room they rented behind the Sri Chowdeshwari Temple.”
The source said the duo targeted college students and others. The two were booked by the Marathahalli police under different sections of the NDPS Act. The police recovered ganja weighing 15 kg from the two suspects.
Further investigations are on in both cases, officials said.
Published 30 November 2023, 22:19 IST