Indian authorities have arrested a Nigerian woman and a taxi driver after allegedly recovering 3.6 kilogrammes of heroin during a special anti-narcotics operation in Tarn Taran, India.
According to reports by Indian media outlet, The Times of India, the suspects were apprehended along the Amritsar-Bathinda highway following an intelligence-led operation carried out by the CIA Staff, Tarn Taran.
The Senior Superintendent of Police in Tarn Taran, Surender Lamba, said the operation was conducted under the supervision of Inspector Rupinderpal Singh.
Lamba disclosed that operatives intercepted a grey taxi near the Goindwal bypass and arrested the Nigerian suspect, identified simply as Bela, said to be from Delta State but residing in Delhi, alongside the driver, Dalip Kumar, from Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the police, a search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 3.6kg of heroin, a mobile phone, the taxi and Rs 1,500 suspected to be proceeds from illicit drug trafficking.
The police alleged that the taxi driver was assisting the Nigerian woman in transporting the narcotics in exchange for financial gain.
Authorities further claimed that preliminary investigations linked the suspect to an international drug trafficking syndicate with alleged connections to Pakistani smugglers.
Lamba said the woman was suspected to have coordinated the movement of heroin smuggled through the India-Pakistan border for distribution across Punjab, Delhi and other parts of India.
The police added that the suspects had been charged under Section 21-C of India’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act at the City Tarn Taran Police Station.
