1,200 kg cocaine, shell companies & a Dubai kingpin—Delhi Police charge sheet in Rs 13,000-cr drug bust
Of them, 14 of the accused, including ex-leader of Congress Tushar Goyal, landed in the net of the Special Cell of Delhi Police last year following cocaine seizures.
New Delhi: Delhi Police have filed a 10,000-page chargesheet in the over-1200 kg, Rs 13,000 crore-worth cocaine haul case, naming 19 accused.
Last year, the police had succeeded in arresting Baisoya's younger brother, Ravinder.
The cocaine case dates back to October 2024, when investigators claimed to have seized 562 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of Thai marijuana from godown in Delhi's Mahipalpur after a three-month probe. They arrested Tushar Goyal and three others at the time.
A slew of arrests followed, with accused Jitendra Pal Singh alias Jassi captured from the Amritsar airport. At the time, the Special Cell conducted consecutive raids, including in Gujarat at the Ankleshwar-based manufacturing unit of Aavkar Drugs, a company that produces precursors to cough syrup.
Sources in the police said the gang manufactured the final product, sellable cocaine, in two stages in Gujarat and Delhi.
'The chargesheet mentions three shell pharma companies that Virender created on forged identities, with the shell companies used for transactions and for buying raw materials and then selling them,' a police source said.
The shell companies procured raw materials from five genuine pharmaceutical firms located across South India and in Gujarat, police sources said, adding that they have not charged those firms. After the probe, the police found those companies had no role in the syndicate and that the gang fraudulently procured chemicals from them, a police source said.
Once the gang had fraudulently procured the raw chemicals from the pharma companies, they processed the chemicals in Avkar. From Avkar, the gang sent the drugs to Delhi in trucks and other vehicles via Uttar Pradesh.
'Here, [in the Capital], Tushar Goyal mixed the chemicals with the cocaine mixture coming from South American countries via Dubai,' another police source said.
Police sources said Baisoya's son was handling the coordination between key players such as Tushar Goyal and Jitendra Pal Singh.
'Virender Baisoya is the kingpin. He arranged all the logistical aid and decided how and where the drugs should reach,' the first source said.
Baisoya is an accused in the Meow Meow drug case that came to the fore in February last year. The case involved Mumbai Police tracing contraband to Delhi and Pune and seizing 1,700 kg, worth over Rs 3,000 crore.
Sources in the Delhi Police said that in the current case, technical evidence, mobile data records, CCTV footage, transaction records, and digital footprints, other than seizures, formed the crux of the evidence.
'There are some other key associates of Virender Baisoya, who are also involved in the syndicate. Further investigation is on,' a source said.
The police suspect Basoiya left India after the 2024 drug haul. The Delhi Police probe began at the time based on intelligence inputs about drug consignments, pre-festive season or pre-music concerts, last year.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read:At heart of Rs 13,000-cr drug bust, 2 brothers from a 1,100-yr-old Delhi village & 'extravagant' lifestyle
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Drive against drug peddling loses steam in Coimbatore
Coimbatore: Drive against drug peddling was very active in the city till a year ago. It was then that the city police busted a drug cartel being run by an Ugandan national - Aivan Gabonge – from the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru with the help of a Kenyan national - Ivy Bonuke, 26. Police were quick to arrest the Kenyan national and seize synthetic drugs. Similarly, a Haryana-based pharmaceutical company owner – Sachin – was arrested by the city police for supplying prescription pills, especially painkillers and sedatives to the local drug peddlers, who were selling the same to college students and IT professionals to get high. Now, the drive against drug peddling has lost steam. The difference is that the city earlier had two special teams exclusively working on curbing the drug menace. Now that the teams are dissolved on the directive of the director general of police, the fight against drug peddling has lost its teeth. "The special teams were closely following the drug trafficking network, busting rackets operating out of different states. After the special teams were dissolved two months ago, many drug rackets have resumed their activities, and drug peddling has been increasing gradually," said a police officer, who didn't want to be named. Pointing out that some IT professionals were in the habit of taking synthetic drugs to stay awake during their night shifts, the officer said, "They gradually get addicted to drugs, spoiling their mental and physical health. Controlling synthetic drug trafficking is the need of the hour. As per the data available with the city police, 281.62 kilograms of ganja, 217.32 grams of methamphetamine and 34,786 painkillers/sedative pills were seized, and 600 drug peddlers were arrested in 285 cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2024. The special teams were instrumental in arresting 169 peddlers and seizing 161kg of ganja and 77 grams of methamphetamine. Another police officer said the drug peddlers were using technology to evade arrest. "Some rackets contact their buyers through Instagram and share the locations where they have hidden drugs. It is not easy to track these locations and arrest the drug peddlers. Therefore, we have started using Instagram under various aliases to keep in contact with the drug peddlers." Yet another police officer said drug peddling had considerably come down in the city. "The special teams were successful in curtailing the main drug supply by arresting the suppliers." He, however, said the law and order police wouldn't be able to focus on drug peddling cases. "Special teams exclusively handling drug trafficking are important, as they could take leads and arrest peddlers from across the country." When contacted, city police commissioner A Saravana Sundar said, "We are taking necessary steps to curtail the drug menace in the city. We have been conducting raids and seizing drugs regularly. This year, so far, we have registered 182 cases and arrested 328 drug peddlers, of who 45 have been detained under the Goondas Act. The seizure of drugs has decreased since we have arrested the main suppliers from other states. We are monitoring couriers and parcel services as well." Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
HC overturns acquittal of four in 1984 riots case, orders retrial of surviving accused
The Delhi high court has set aside a nearly 40-year-old verdict that acquitted four men in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and ordered a retrial, saying the trial was conducted in a 'hasty manner' and that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) failed to make sufficient efforts to collect evidence. (Shutterstock) The case concerned the killing of Harbhajan Singh in Ghaziabad's Raj Nagar on November 1, 1984 — a day after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination. According to his wife, a group of men attacked and set her husband ablaze and also torched their home. In May 1986, a trial court acquitted the four accused of arson and murder, citing contradictions between the woman's statements to police and in court, as well as the delay in filing the complaint. A bench of justices Subramanian Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar took up the matter suo motu after prima facie finding faults in the 1986 judgment and describing the investigation as 'perfunctory'. The issue came up while the bench was hearing appeals in another case from the same locality, in which five men — including former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, ex-MLA Captain Bhagmal, and Girdhari Lal — were convicted in 2013 for the murder of five Sikhs. Among the appellants in that case was Krishan Khokhar, brother of Balwan Khokhar. The court noted that neither the state nor the victims had challenged the 1986 acquittal, but said it could not ignore a flawed investigation and trial, particularly when the verdict was being cited in other appeals. In its verdict delivered on Monday, the bench said the trial court's decision had resulted in a 'miscarriage of justice' to the victim's wife and children, depriving them of their fundamental right to a fair trial. The judges faulted the CBI for failing to trace the victim's body or recover articles stolen from the house. They also noted that investigators did not associate key witnesses with the probe, including the victim's children — who were present at the time — and neighbours. The court rejected the trial court's conclusion that contradictions in the woman's testimony undermined the case, saying there was enough material to support her account. It also said the investigating agency had not taken 'sufficient efforts' to gather the best possible evidence. 'Failure to order a reinvestigation 40 years after the incident would be turning a Nelson's eye to society's needs and the victim's rights to a comprehensive, free, and fair probe,' the bench said. Quoting the amicus curiae, senior advocate Vivek Sood, the court noted that after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, large-scale violence forced widows, children, and residents to flee their homes for safety. This, it said, meant witnesses would not have been readily available for investigation — but that did not absolve the agency of its duty to secure evidence using the powers under the Criminal Procedure Code. 'These errors have resulted in miscarriage of justice… If not rectified, this may result in loss of hope in our legal system and compromise the interests of society,' the bench observed. Sood argued that the acquittal was 'totally perverse' and ignored the scale of violence, property destruction, and displacement suffered by victims. He pointed out that the complainant herself was forced to leave Delhi after her husband's killing and the loss of her home. While the counsel for the sole surviving accused argued that a retrial would serve no useful purpose, the court clarified that the fresh trial would apply only to him. Proceedings against the three other accused have abated due to their deaths. The CBI has been directed to conclude the probe expeditiously, bearing in mind the age of the case. In a separate ruling, the same bench ordered the reconstruction of four-decade-old trial records in another 1984 anti-Sikh riots case from Raj Nagar. That case concerns the acquittal of five men, including Balwan Khokhar, in the killing of four Sikhs. The court said victims' and society's rights to a fair investigation and trial cannot be undermined by missing files or flawed earlier proceedings, and directed the trial court to undertake the reconstruction.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Home minister calls addiction to online gaming worse than drugs, govt plans fresh curbs
Bengaluru: The govt will decide on regulating the online gaming sector based on recommendations of a committee headed by IPS officer Pranab Mohanty, home minister G Parameshwara told the assembly Tuesday. The committee, set up in April, is expected to submit its report in Sept. Responding to a question from BJP's S Suresh Kumar during question hour, Parameshwara said he had met representatives of online gaming companies and sought their cooperation in framing regulations to safeguard public. "They have agreed," he said, while suggesting online games were more dangerous than drugs. Parameshwara acknowledged concerns about addiction, especially among youth. He cited police data showing 347 cases of online betting registered in the state since 2023 — 84 cases in 2023, 104 in 2024, and 159 up to July 31 this year. Ballari district reported the highest number, at 73 cases. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Gold Rates Today in Bengaluru | Silver Rates Today in Bengaluru Kumar accused the govt of inaction in the Supreme Court, where the matter has been pending for three years. "Why hasn't the govt made sure that the SC stay is vacated? We don't need another country to destroy us. These games are enough," he said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Indonesia Solar Panels: See How Much It Will Cost To Install Them (See Prices) Solar Panel | Search Ads Learn More Undo Highlighting aggressive marketing, he said: "I received a message that my wallet has been credited with Rs 1.6 lakh and I can play rummy. How many people have the capacity to resist the temptation? The likes of (cricketer) Harbhajan Singh are endorsing such games." The legal tussle over online gaming began in 2021, when the previous BJP govt amended the Karnataka Police Act to prohibit online games. The high court struck down the amendments in 2022, after which the state challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court. Parameshwara said the "comprehensive" changes were contested by the All India Gaming Federation, adding: "We need to define games of skill and chance, whose need wasn't anticipated when the law was amended. " CN Ashwath Narayan of BJP urged the govt to ban betting even in games of skill. In response, IT-BT minister Priyank Kharge said: "Even fantasy sports were put under the skill game category by the court. The Union and state govt must work together on a law. There's a 28% GST on online gaming. So, games are being hosted on foreign servers. This makes it difficult for us to take action if there's fraud." Priyank said India has 519 million gamers, including 140 million paid gamers, and projected the online gaming business to grow from $4.5 billion to $9 billion within three years. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
