Drug peddlers held with 548 kgs of marijuana worth Rs 54 lakh

Two suspected members of an inter-state drug cartel involved in supplying marijuana, were arrested and 548 kgs of the drug worth Rs 54 lakh was seized from them, the police said today.
The marijuana, packed in cartons, was transported from Orissa to Delhi in the parcel van of Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, they added.
A senior Delhi Police officer said that the marijuana was transported using the parcel van at least twice a month and the Railways was not aware about the contents of the parcel.
A senior Railways official accepted that they have no means to ascertain the contents of individual packages but random checks are conducted.

"The leaseholder has to give a declaration about the goods he is carrying in the van but there is no way we can check every parcel. We randomly check the packages. However, contents of the packages are not checked individually," he said.
The official said this is the first such case that has come to his notice.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch had received information that Jagdish Kumar Arya (44) and Sarvan, residents of Faridabad (Haryana) were involved in supplying marijuana from Orissa to Delhi through Rajdhani Express, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Bhisham Singh.
During investigation, it was found that the gang was using Bhubaneswar Rajdhani to transport marijuana in connivance with some railway personnel.

The contraband was kept in a parcel van of Rajdhani Train and transported to New Delhi.
The police received a tip-off on September 5 that Arya would come to take delivery of the consignment at New Delhi railway station and then travel to Faridabad, said the officer.
Arya was nabbed near Rajghat traffic signal with eight cartons of marijuana.
During investigation, another tip-off was received that another consignment of marijuana was coming through Bhubaneswar Rajdhani at the New Delhi station.
A raid was conducted at the New Delhi station where six cartons, offloaded from the parcel van of Rajdhani train and received by one Saroj Subudhi, who was nabbed.

During interrogation, he revealed that he has a firm in the name of 'Saroj Parcel Service' at New Delhi station and he was working with one Anil who had an office at Bhubaneswar and who had the lease licence of the parcel van.
The cartons were booked by Anil who was in contact with Sarvan, said the DCP.
Sarvan would give Rs 10,000 for each parcel having marijuana to Subudhi and Anil.
Railway officials said parcels are randomly checked, but are opened only if they raise suspicion.
Railway staff then get RPF or GRP officials to investigate. However, packages are also opened if any tip-offs are received from the police.

Then the packages and their related items are taken over by the concerned authorities, officials said.