In one of the biggest drug busts this year,The Whitefield division police on Friday unearthed an inter-State drug racket and arrested three people from Rajasthan. They recovered 500 kg of marijuana worth ₹1 crore from the truck they were driving.
Since the police department could not spare ₹1 crore and there were security concerns, they came up with a plan to approach a film studio to procure fake currency.
Police procured fake currencies used in movies from a studio to “purchase” 500 kg of marijuana. Stating they were initially anxious, an officer, who took part in the operation, said although the studio currencies in ₹2,000 denominations looked real, they all had the same serial number.
A dark brown suitcase filled with fake currency was then taken to the second meeting with the suppliers. “One of our biggest concerns was whether the suppliers would take a closer look at the notes as they all had the same serial number. But the meeting went smoothly, and they agreed to bring 500 kg of ganja (marijuana),” said the officer
The police convinced the suppliers to ensure that the transaction took place in a closed environment and asked the suppliers to come to a warehouse in KR Puram. Once they arrived and showed the hidden stash, police took the men and material into custody.
They had created a secret compartment behind the driver’s seat and the rest of the truck was filled with other goods,” said Pant.
The accused, Dayalram, 38, Poonaram, 24, and Budharam, 23, were intercepted by a police team near Medahalli in K.R. Puram when they arrived to deliver a consignment to a client.
Acting on a tip-off, the police, under the guise of customers, approached the accused. They later searched the 10-wheeled truck and found a hidden compartment in the drivers’ cabin. “Concealed in the compartment were 82 bundles of marijuana,” said a police officer.
The accused allegedly confessed to have sourced the drugs from their contacts in Odisha and planned to sell it in Bengaluru. “We have seized the truck and taken the trio into custody,” the officer said
