Nagpur was a sales hub for NCB-busted interstate ganja racket, says early probe

The interstate ganja smuggling racket busted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had been active in Nagpur for years. It sold ganja in Nagpur, after which the consignment was taken on to Mumbai or other cities. This surprising information has emerged in the preliminary investigation.

The NCB's Mumbai zonal unit on October 4 stopped a truck, number WB/23/D/8398, near the Outer Ring Road on the Nagpur-Bhandara route under the Hudkeshwar police station limits and seized 500 kg of ganja. Packets of ganja had been hidden among steel pipes that were being taken to Indore.

In the operation, West Bengal smugglers R.P. Goldar and A. Sarkar were arrested, along with the main accused, S.A.S. Yusuf alias Rajabhai, who was to receive the consignment in Nagpur. Rajabhai's involvement has raised questions about the Nagpur police.

Rajabhai has been involved in drug trafficking for about five years, and cases are registered against him. Despite being under police watch, he was running such a large racket from Nagpur itself. This exposes the reality of the police's "Drugs Free City" campaign.

The racket did not use Nagpur only as a transit point. From every consignment, 100 to 150 kg of ganja was unloaded in the city itself. The truck was stopped at the Hudkeshwar police station premises or another trusted police station premises. There, packets of ganja were taken out as per the deal and the truck was sent onward. After the ganja was sold in Nagpur, the consignment was taken to Mumbai or another city. Each consignment carried 400 to 500 kg of ganja.

Being an old hand, Rajabhai had made the "system" work in his favour. That is why the police never once tried to find out the truth about Rajabhai or his racket.