Bengaluru, January 6: In a major crackdown ahead of New Year celebrations, Ashoknagar Police arrested two persons, including an MBA graduate, and seized MDMA crystals worth approximately ₹3.5 crore. The accused had allegedly procured the narcotics to supply drugs at New Year parties across the city.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammed Tariq (34), an MBA graduate and resident of Banaswadi, and Sheikh Ahmed Arbaaz Khan (29), a second-hand car dealer from Kadugodi.
According to police, Mohammed Tariq is employed with a private company, while Arbaaz Khan is engaged in the used-car business. Investigations revealed that the duo had purchased MDMA crystals from a foreign national at a lower price, with plans to sell the drugs to youngsters during New Year celebrations and make quick profits.
Acting on specific intelligence about MDMA being supplied during New Year festivities, Ashoknagar Police registered a case under the NDPS Act and launched a special operation. On December 31, police detained one of the accused near a Hindu cemetery on Hosur Road.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that he and his accomplice had sourced the MDMA from an unidentified individual and were planning to distribute it during New Year events.
Following sustained questioning, police recovered 2.48 kg of MDMA crystals hidden near a grave inside the cemetery, along with the two-wheeler used for the crime.
Based on further inputs provided by the first accused, police arrested the second accused from Malleshpalya, Baiyappanahalli, and recovered an additional 720 grams of MDMA crystals from his residence in Seegehalli, Kadugodi.
In total, police seized 3.2 kg of MDMA crystals worth ₹3.5 crore, along with a two-wheeler and a mobile phone used in the operation. Police said the prime supplier is absconding, and efforts are underway to trace and arrest him.
The investigation is continuing to identify the wider drug network involved in the case.
