Delhi drug probe: Peddlers, customers used banknote images as 'codes' before handover

People would come and show the accused a picture of a currency banknote which was already sent to him by a Dubai-based kingpin to use as code. Once the code was verified, the consignment would be handed over.

New Delhi: Drug buyers used pictures of Indian banknotes as a 'codes' to show to the seller and prove they were legitimate customers before they were handed over the consignments, Delhi Police's investigation into the Rs 7,000-crore cocaine seizure has revealed.

According to a police source, the Mahipalpur godown of Tushar Goel, one of seven men arrested so far in the case, was to be used as the main transit point for drug supply across the country.

The godown was where 562 kilograms of cocaine was recovered on October 2.

Another 208–kilogram cocaine recovery was made from west Delhi's Ramesh Nagar on Thursday. This stash was also supposed to be kept at Goel's godown, but its caretaker fled to the UK soon after the October 2 seizure, the source said.

People would come and show Goel a picture of a currency banknote which was already sent to Goel by a Dubai-based kingpin to use as code. Once the code was verified, the consignment would be handed over.

"Goel was to get around Rs 30 crore for keeping and distributing the Rs 700-kg drug consignment," a police officer privy to the investigation said.

He was supposed to get Rs 3 crore for handing a 15-kg drug consignment to Bharat Kumar Jain, a Mumbai-based syndicate member, the officer said.

Jain, not known to Goel, had also shown him the picture of an Indian currency note to receive the consignment.

Money was sent to Goel in cryptocurrency by the kingpin from Dubai, the officer said.

Goel and Jain, and two of Goel's associates, were arrested from outside Mahipalpur godown on October 2 by the Special Cell.

Police later arrested three more people, including an Indian-origin United Kingdom resident, Jitender Gill alias Jassi, from Amritsar.

On Thursday, police arrested one Akhlak from Uttar Pradesh's Hapur.