Cocaine worth Rs 26.5 cr concealed in thermocol balls seized at Delhi airport
Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Jun, 2023 10:38 AM
New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) announced on Thursday that they seized 1,922 grams of cocaine worth Rs 26.5 crore, which was sent from Brazil through a courier consignment.
"Based on specific intelligence developed by the DRI, a courier consignment arriving at the New Courier Terminal in New Delhi was put on hold and examined by DRI officers. This led to the recovery of 1,922 grams of cocaine, with a street value of Rs 26.5 crore," said an official.
The DRI officer further stated that the consignment arrived in two boxes from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and was declared as containing "Table Center" (a decorative object).
Upon opening the boxes, two crystal glassware decorative bowls (one in each box) were found, along with hundreds of thermocol balls used for cushioning the glassware.
"Upon careful examination, it was observed that some of the thermocol balls were slightly heavier (1-2 grams only) than the rest. After cutting open all the thermocol balls, it was discovered that 972 out of 10,000 balls contained polythene balls filled with a white-coloured powder," said the official.
The white-coloured powder inside the thermocol balls tested positive for cocaine in the preliminary test.
A total of about 1,922 grams of cocaine, valued at Rs 26.5 crore, has been recovered and seized under the NDPS Act.
Further investigation into the matter is going on.
The police have arrested six persons in this connection, out of whom two are residents of Liluah in Howrah district, two are from Maharashtra and one from Gujarat. The police suspect that besides running the fake call centre, the arrested persons were also involved in illegal hawala transactions.
A forensic science lab team also reached the spot and inspected the suitcase and the spot where the body was found. The hands and the feet of the victim were tied with a rope, a police officer said, not ruling out the possibility of foul play in the case.
The officials said that some dreaded criminals were lodged in the same ward, adding that Sisodia has not raised any complaint in food or other things so far. Sisodia, who was arrested on February 26 in the Delhi excise policy case, was lodged in the cell on Monday after due formalities which included some medical tests.
Special public prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad argued the charges against Poonawala. It was submitted that the accused is a trained chef from Taj Hotel and is aware of preserving the flesh. Poonawala had also ordered dry ice, agarbatti etc. after killing Shraddha Walker, the police said.
Carrying placards, father Balkaur Singh and mother Charan Kaur told the media it has been almost a year of the crime occurrence and the main culprits have not been arrested.They demanded that the case should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as crucial witnesses "are being eliminated and nothing is going in their favour."
The accused were identified as Mohd. Danish (33) and Danish alias Raja (30), both residents of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. Police have also recovered five high end luxury cars and SUVs from the possession of the accused.
