In a major success under the national campaign “Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan”, the Delhi Police Crime Branch has busted an interstate drug trafficking network, seizing 411 kg of high-grade ganja (cannabis) and arresting four operatives, including the main supplier from Odisha.
Acting on specific intelligence, a special team led by DCP (Crime) Harsh Indora launched a covert operation near Golf Course Road, Sector 19, Dwarka, on July 6.
The team intercepted a truck and a Tata Nexon car while the suspects were transferring large quantities of ganja. Three suspects were arrested on the spot:
Lokesh Bhardwaj (27) – the alleged kingpin, a B.Com dropout from Rewari, Haryana
Ashish Khasa alias Ashu (20) – associate, also from Rewari
Moeen Khan (24) – a truck driver from Nuh, Haryana
A total of 411 kg of premium-quality marijuana, with a market value of Rs1.90 crore, was recovered from the two vehicles.
During interrogation, police traced the origin of the consignment to Odisha. This led to a second raid and the arrest of the main supplier, Srikant Prasad (33), from Gopalganj, Bihar, who was operating out of Odisha. He was nabbed on July 10 after an intense manhunt.
Police revealed that Lokesh Bhardwaj entered the drug trade after his water business failed, while Ashish Khasa joined due to financial stress after his father’s death. Moeen Khan, a school dropout, worked as a driver and transported drugs across state borders. Srikant Prasad, with a prior arrest in Bihar, allegedly joined the narcotics trade through prison contacts.
DCP Indora stated that the Crime Branch is actively targeting drug networks linking Delhi and Naxal-affected regions in Odisha. “This operation is part of a sustained crackdown on narcotics syndicates supplying large cities through interstate routes,” he said.
Further investigations are ongoing to identify the full supply chain, including source and delivery points across multiple states.
