Bengaluru, April 7 Eight people, including a foreign national, were arrested for illegally selling drugs in the city, police said on Tuesday.
They seized drugs, vehicles, and other items worth ₹27.42 crore.
According to police, based on credible information received from informants on various dates, officers and staff learned that prohibited narcotic substances such as MDMA, Ganja, and Cocaine were being sold within the jurisdictions of Hebbagodi, Yelahanka New Town, Mico Layout, Parappana Agrahara, Bagalur, and Banaswadi Police Stations.
Acting on this information, cases were registered under the NDPS Act in the respective police stations, and raids were conducted at the locations identified by the informants.
"During these operations, a total of 8 accused persons were apprehended on different dates, including one foreign national, and four interstate offenders," Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh told reporters here.
Upon interrogation, the accused confessed that, with the intention of making quick money, they procured narcotic substances such as MDMA, Cocaine, and Ganja at lower prices from unknown foreign and local suppliers and sold them to the public, including college students, he said.
"A total of ₹13.71 Crores worth of drugs and other items have been seized. These include 12 kg 91 grams of MDMA, 275 grams of Cocaine, 34 kg 802 grams of Ganja, 40 grams of gold ornaments (purchased from the proceeds of drug sales), and 02 two-wheelers used for the offence. The total estimated market value of all these is ₹27.42 Crores," he added.
The Commissioner further said that efforts are underway to trace the unknown individuals who supplied the narcotic substances to the accused.
Investigation is ongoing.
"There is information about the involvement of other foreign nationals, and through FRRO we learned that one person has already left the country... interrogations and investigations will continue," he said.
All eight accused have been produced before the court on different dates and have been remanded to judicial custody, officials said.
Noting that in the case under the Electric City division, raids were conducted at five different houses and different quantities of drugs were seized, Singh said, "This is a serious matter as the house was taken for rent and they supplied from there. The information came from the arrest of the foreigner. The total value of seizure in Hebbagodi alone is ₹27 crore (market value)."