New Delhi: In a major breakthrough against narcotics smuggling, two bike taxi riders were arrested in Delhi’s Dwarka area for allegedly trafficking high-grade cannabis from West Bengal to the capital by concealing the contraband in train pantry cars, police said on Wednesday.
The accused — Manju Husain and Rakib Miyan, both 24 — were apprehended on June 9 near the BSES office in Sector 18, Dwarka, with 28.781 kilograms of cannabis hidden inside luggage bags. Originally from Cooch Behar in West Bengal and currently residing in Noida’s Sarfabad, the duo worked as app-based bike taxi riders in Noida, which they allegedly used as a cover to avoid police scrutiny.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh, the two were part of a larger interstate drug syndicate that used long-distance trains to smuggle cannabis in bulk. The drugs were discreetly loaded into luggage placed in pantry cars to bypass standard baggage checks.
“The cannabis was routed to Delhi-NCR and later distributed to local buyers, particularly in Noida and Uttam Nagar,” the DCP said.
Acting on specific intelligence, police intercepted the suspects with two large bags filled with cannabis. The seizure follows a previous major haul in May, where the same police team recovered 176.996 kilograms of cannabis and arrested three others in a related case.
A new case under the NDPS Act has been registered at Dwarka North Police Station, and further investigations are underway to identify railway route handlers and syndicate members involved in the smuggling network.
Preliminary interrogation suggests that this was the first known offence for both accused. “Their clean criminal history and the use of a legitimate occupation helped them operate under the radar,” said DCP Singh.
Police say efforts are ongoing to dismantle the entire network and trace those responsible for placing the narcotics in pantry cars and receiving them in the Delhi-NCR region.
