3.5kg cocaine seized in Paharganj, 3 held

At least 3.5 kilograms of cocaine was recovered from three women and a man by the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) Delhi zonal unit. The four were arrested.

NCB officials said that on Monday, officials received information about a woman named Fernando Grageda (20) from Bolivia, was landing in the city in an Ethiopian airline. The woman, who was kept under surveillance, checked into a Paharganj hotel.

“Our team constantly monitored her movement when she checked into the hotel. After some time, a woman named Lhingpichong alias Shilpa, 28, came to receive the consignment of cocaine from the woman. They were caught red-handed,” said a senior police officer.

Lhingpichong told the officials that the consignment was to be handed over to a woman named Sanali Khan alias Joyce Karoung, 41. “We arrested Joyce after Shilpa’s interrogation. Joyce disclosed that the consignment belongs to Odonga Chickwuebuka Stephen, 38, a Nigerian national. Stephen was also arrested. We seized the cocaine and registered a case against them,” said a senior NCB official.

During interrogation, the officials found that the consignment was handed to Grageda in Bolivia by a man named Nagreta.

Grageda reportedly told NCB officials that she was promised a commission of $4,000 for successfully delivering the consignment. “We will look at their contacts in Delhi. Investigation is on,” said the officer.