Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Crackdown on drug peddlers in Taimoor Nagar, one held

- HT Correspond­ent htreporter­s@hindustant­imes

THE RAIDS CAME NEARLY A WEEK AFTER 34YEAROLD RUPESH BESOYA WAS SHOT DEAD ALLEGEDLY BY THREE MEN WHO HAD COME TO PURCHASE DRUGS IN THE AREA

NEWDELHI: Delhi Police on Friday launched a crackdown against drug peddlers operating out of south Delhi’s Taimoor Nagar and arrested one supplier and recovered 320 grams of heroin from his possession.

The raids came nearly a week after 34-year-old Rupesh Besoya was shot dead allegedly by three men who had come to purchase drugs in the area.

The murder of Besoya, who was a stationary shop owner, had sparked violent protests in the area, with a mob even pelting stones on policemen who had gone to the area to probe the incident that night.

A day later, hundreds of local residents had taken to the streets to protest the killing and torched some vehicles.

The police had to use mild force and tear gas shells to bring the situation under control.

Deputy commission­er of police (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal identified the man arrested on Friday as Abhijeet Mukher- jee, 28, from whom 320 grams of heroin was recovered by the district’s anti-narcotics squad.

“The team was formed to identify and nab people involved in drug peddling in Taimoor Nagar, New Friends Colony and Khijrabad Village areas.

“Mukherjee has told us that he used to purchase drugs from two key peddlers in Taimoor Nagar and Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. He used to purchase heroin at Rs 12 lakh per kilogram. Mukherjee then made five packets of heroin from one gram of the contraband and sold each packet for ₹ 300. He used to earn ₹3 lakh as profit on sale of one kilogram of heroin,” said Biswal.

DCP Biswal said that based upon the findings of a vigilance enquiry conducted by additional DCP of the district in the Besoya’s murder case and the resultant violence in Taimoor Nagar, the then station house officer (SHO) of the New Friends Colony police station, and the division officer have been suspended.

RESIDENTS HOLD MAHAPANCHA­YAT

On Saturday evening, around 1,000 residents of Taimoor Nagar held a mahapancha­yat in their neighbourh­ood and demanded justice for Besoya and stringent action against sale of narcotics.

The mahapancha­yat was attended by the family members of Besoya and some political leaders, including Bharatiya Janata Party’s east Delhi’s member of Parliament (MP) Maheish Girri and rebel Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Kapil Mishra.

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