Red rooms on dark web to parties: How coke made its way across NCR

Time of India

6 hours ago

Gurgaon: The arrest of eight drug peddlers, including six Nigerian nationals, has led police to a multinational gang that exploited the dark web's anonymity to orchestrate a multi-crore cocaine business across NCR.
The gang, which included a Nepalese national and a woman from Mizoram as well, operated from the shadows of a "workshop" created in a rented house in Delhi's Chattarpur area for three years before being busted by Gurgaon cops on June 16.
The gang, police said, not just used the dark web to reach out to potential customers, but also conducted transactions using digital currencies like Bitcoin that left no digital footprint.
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"Initially developed by the US Navy for secret missions, the dark web was exploited by criminals for drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and other illegal activities. Its search engine uses software like the Tor browser. Online frauds are usually traced through IP addresses. When you switch from one window to another, your IP address will immediately change," a police official said.
How did the gang reach out to customers? "The gang shared URLs, which gave users access to 'red rooms' or groups with similar interests.
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Each member was assigned a user ID and password, which helped them reach like-minded individuals or other smugglers and place orders. These red rooms were separate from those used by arms smugglers," the official said.
Even the deliveries were meticulous. After securing raw materials through coded communications on the dark web, the gang processed cocaine at their Chhatarpur "factory". And to distribute their product, they employed women, who could easily blend into NCR's party circuit without arousing suspicion.
This way, the drugs made their way to high-end clubs and corporate parties across the region.
"The arrested Nigerians were being handled by drug lords in their own country. According to them, more such gangs are operational in Chhatarpur area. This is a multi-crore business with deep roots. So far, we have been successful in nabbing experienced drug peddlers from Nigeria and Nepal," the officer said.
The veil was lifted off the gang when the crime branch team from Sector 43 police station — led by DCP Rajesh Kumar — arrested Nepalese national Vimal Pahadi from near a hotel in Sector 38, and recovered 1.6gm of sulfa and 116gm of cocaine from his possession.
His interrogation led to a series of arrests, including that of Mizoram resident Lal Kothari and six Nigerian nationals — Johan David, Okolie Romanus, N Nahiofor Peter, Ojukwa Ifenya, Henry Onuchukwu, and Friday Tobias Chikwu.
When Pahadi landed in police net, he planned to take a bus to Delhi and then head to Nepal with packets of the contraband, investigators said. According to cops, he frequently travelled between Nepal and India, collected drugs from Delhi or Gurgaon, and then headed back to his own country, where he distributed the cocaine in parties.
"Vimal was active here for the past two years and made around 20 trips between the two countries. Surprisingly, no one ever checked him," a police officer said.
The gang's reliance on technology extended to their communication methods as well. They maintained a rotating system of nearly 50 mobile phones, switching devices when contact with delivery teams or suppliers failed.
"The accused would turn off their phones in case they failed to make contact with their delivery team members or suppliers. They had at least 50 phones for business operations," the officer said.
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