Hindustan Times (Delhi)

Police rescue abducted peddlers who sold flour in name of party drug

- HT Correspond­ent htreporter­s@hindustant­imes.com

NEWDELHI: Thepoliceh­averescued twomenwhow­erekidnapp­edafter theysoldwh­eatflourto­twooftheir clientsinD­elhiinthen­ameofpseud­oephedrine, a party drug.

Sunil Kumar Thapa, 34, and MohammadAl­i,32,werearrest­ed on Sunday after police tracked them through mobile phone surveillan­ce. Lalneisung, 42, and Zosanglian­a,36,wererescue­dfrom Moradabad, 145 kilometres from Delhi.

The police said all the four are partofanin­ter-statedrugt­rafficking ring.

TheShillon­gPoliceapp­roached theirDelhi­counterpar­tsafterLal­neisung’s wife registered a complainto­nFriday.Shetoldthe­police thatherhus­bandhadgon­etoDelhi inthefirst­weekofSept­emberwith Zosanglian­a and they have been kidnapped. She said the kidnappers have demanded ₹15 lakh ransom.

“Lalneisung’swifedepos­ited₹3 lakhinaban­kaccountin­Delhiand also paid ₹1.40 lakh through hawala.Zosanglian­a’swifealsop­aid₹5 lakh through hawala,” said joint commission­er of police, crime, Ravindra Yadav.

“However, when they were not set free, Lalneisung’s relative approached the police,” he said. The police started tracking the phone numbers and raids were conducted in Delhi and Agra, said Yadav.

Lalneisung, an ex-serviceman, and Zosanglian­a worked for one Ashish. They used to get Ashish customers of pseudoephe­drine and charged commission.

Ghani Bhai, a customer , approached Ashish through Zosanglian­a.“GhaniBhaip­aid₹30 lakhtoAshi­sh.Hetookthem­oney andvanishe­d.Ghanilater­realised that the packets given to him contained wheat flour. To take revenge, he abducted Lalneisung and Zosanglian­a,” Yadav said.

Ghani abducted the two and called their families for ransom.

Based on the technical surveillan­ce,thepoliceg­otatipofft­hatthe abductors will visit Anand Vihar bus terminal road and nabbed Ghani’sassociate­s,ThapaandAl­i. Ghani is yet to be arrested.

Police also recovered four mobile phones and 8 SIM cards from their possession.

 ?? ARUN SHARMA/HT PHOTO ?? Lalneisung and C Zosalinga, members of a drug traffickin­g ring, were rescued from Moradabad, UP.
ARUN SHARMA/HT PHOTO Lalneisung and C Zosalinga, members of a drug traffickin­g ring, were rescued from Moradabad, UP.

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