Karnataka - Bangalore   

Nine kg opium seized, one held

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Caught: The police with the accused Prabhu Ram (centre) in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Bangalore: A textile merchant, a native of Rajasthan, was arrested by the Upparpet police on Monday on charges of drug peddling and 9 kg of opium worth over Rs. 3 crore in the market was seized from him.

Speaking to presspersons here on Tuesday, P. Harisekharan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), said the police got a tip-off that Prabhu Ram (46) was selling narcotic drugs near Tulsi Tota on Dharmambudi Road, coming under Upparpet police station limits. “Based on the tip-off, we went and arrested him when he was selling the drug. He had about 1 kg in a bag,” he said. Prabhu Ram, a textile merchant is a resident of Arakere on Bannerghatta Road.

Mr. Harisekharan said the police seized eight kg of opium from his house after Prabhu Ram confessed that more opium had been stored at his residence. Upon searching, the police found 8 kg of opium in his house.

“The total worth of the seized drugs is estimated to be about Rs. 3 crore,” he added. “We are still investigating the case. All we know at this point is that Prabhu Ram is a native of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. He reportedly purchased the narcotic drug from a person named Ramesh in Madhya Pradesh,” he said.

Asked if there were others involved in the racket, the official said that the police were still investigating the case. “We still have a lot to investigate. We will interrogate him again and try to get more details out,” he said.

About the way the drug reached Bangalore from Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Harisekharan said that the accused had claimed that he personally met Ramesh and bought the drugs from him. “We are sure to crack the case soon. With his arrest, we hope to keep a track on the drug mafia that operates in and around Bangalore and arrest those involved,” he added. A case has been registered.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Rajasthani handicrafts on show
Women’s film festival
Zip to the airport in ‘Meru’
FIR lodged against a Sub-Inspector stayed
Suspended employee can participate in union activities High Court Round-Up
Children’s poll first, then Assembly polls
A 7 per cent vote swing will give us power: Moily
KPCC earns Rs. 3 crore through applications
30 Congress candidates may be renominated
Buntings, posters have come up in violation of rules: JD(U)
Team arrives to assess crop damage
Training for poll officials
CADA official’s life is under threat: wife
Reva at new airport
Euro-Asian conference held in Bangalore
Of an eastward shift of global power
82 cases of Central Excise duty evasion detected
World Health Day: call for stringent laws to check environmental pollution
Marathahalli overbridge thrown open to traffic
Not just for those with deep pockets
Watch out where you send your children
What young people feel
When summer vacation turns to summer camp
For special children and their siblings
Opposed
Vedike activists disrupt taxi launch function
Woman murdered by husband
PIL against privatisation of lakes admitted
Nine kg opium seized, one held
One shot dead during group clash
Applications invited
Four killed in road accidents Crime notes
In Bangalore Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu