The STF said the arrested duo had been involved in interstate drug trafficking for 4 to 5 years, manufacturing brown sugar and distributing it at pubs, hotels, and private parties
UP STF conducted an operation in Lucknow to nab the suspects. Representational Image/File
Police in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow have arrested two men in connection with a drug trafficking case in Palghar district of Maharashtra, reported the PTI.
The accused had been allegedly involved in supplying narcotics to pubs, hotels, and private parties in Maharashtra, officials said, adding that the duo were caught on Monday near the Charbagh railway station in Uttar Pradesh. They were held from a tempo stand, according to the PTI.
The suspects have been identified as Bhavesh Chauhan, also known as Lalu, originally from Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh and residing in Nalasopara, Palghar district, and Shoaib Ashraf Pathan, alias Batla, also a resident of Nalasopara.
Both were wanted in connection with a case registered at Naigaon police station in Palghar under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the news agency reported.
According to police, Chauhan has multiple criminal cases registered against him, including violations under the NDPS Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), at various police stations in the Vasai-Virar area in Maharashtra.
How was the arrest made?
According to the police, the UP Special Task Force (STF), Lucknow, carried out the arrest based on specific intelligence. “Acting on inputs, the STF team arrested both accused from Charbagh while they were trying to flee,” a police release said as per PTI report.
The operation was conducted in coordination with the Naigaon police, who had sought assistance after learning that the accused were hiding in Lucknow. Police said the duo had planned to escape from Mumbai to Nepal following the seizure of a drug consignment linked to them in the Vasai-Virar-Mira Bhayander area on February 5.
Confessions during interrogation
During questioning, the accused reportedly admitted to interstate drug trafficking for the past four to five years. They revealed that they, along with associates, manufactured brown sugar using readily available chemicals and supplied it to pubs, hotels, and private parties in Maharashtra.
The STF noted that the arrests were crucial to dismantling this trafficking network and preventing further distribution of narcotics in the region. Investigations are ongoing to identify other members of the group and track their operations.
(With PTI Inputs)
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