Ballari (Karnataka), February 13 In a major crackdown on organized narcotics networks in North Karnataka, Ballari police on Friday apprehended an alleged drug kingpin under the stringent Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, officials said.
The accused, identified as Mahboob Daula, a resident of Rani Thota in Ballari, has allegedly been running an interstate drug trafficking network for nearly two decades, they said.
Police said the arrest followed a detailed investigation during which all relevant records linked to the accused were collected and analyzed.
Legal experts were consulted before invoking provisions of the PIT-NDPS Act.
Officials said that despite repeated raids and prosecution in earlier cases, the accused allegedly continued to engage in narcotics-related activities since 2015.
Cases have been registered against him in multiple districts, including Mysuru, Chitradurga and Vijayanagara, and his network allegedly extended beyond the region to other states, including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Based on a proposal submitted by the Ballari Superintendent of Police, and after detailed legal scrutiny, authorities ordered his detention under the provisions of the PIT-NDPS Act, a senior police officer said.
The detention order was issued by the authorised officer and as per statutory provisions notified by the state government, and was served on the accused after informing him of the grounds of detention, he said.
He has been lodged in the Central Prison in Ballari, police added.
