BENGALURU: In a major drug haul, the Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested nine people of a Kerala-based gang and recovered 108 kg of marijuana, worth Rs 50 lakh.
The arrested include the kingpin Nailesh alias Nandakumar (36). Following credible information, policemen in plain clothes waited outside Nailesh’s house in Indiranagar for hours and arrested him the moment he arrived in his car.
During the search operation at his residence, the police came across many bags of marijuana stashed inside.
Along with Nailesh, his eight associates Anas, Prajeel Das and Shafi from Kochi, Akshay Kumar from Mallapuram, Sajan from Thiruvananthapuram, and Shinaz, Nabeel and Mustaq from Thrissur were also arrested.
Nailesh is a wanted criminal in Kerala, the police said.
City Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar said that Nailesh used to procure marijuana from Vishaakapatanam and Odisha, and sell it to dealers in Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
"Nailesh is a wanted criminal and several complaint against him under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act have been registered in Kerala and one in Jeevan Bima Nagar police station in Bengaluru a few years ago," Kumar said.
The arrest happened after the police got a tip off that the gang had arrived from Odisha with marijuana.
Nailesh told police that he along with his gang members sold the marijuana in 10 gm packets to college students in Ejipura, Marathahalli, Banaswadi, Hennur, K.R. Puram and Ramamurthy Nagar.
The gang also used to sell the contraband in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
