Cache of painkiller,Tramadol, used by terror operatives, seized in Delhi; 3 arrested

Delhi police’s crime branch on Monday recovered a cache of the controlled painkiller Tramadol valued over Rs 37 lakh and arrested three men for illegally supplying the drug.

Senior officers said Tramadol is a very powerful painkiller and is known to be used by terror operatives to overcome inordinate pain.

The government in April this year included Tramadol under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act, which in effect restricts its over-the-counter sale to curb its misuse.

Police recovered 150 boxes of Tramadol tablets from Babloo Kumar Nagar (28), Srichand (42) and Rakesh Mishra (38). The suspects were transporting the drug in parcels by rail routes, police said.

Additional commissioner of police (crime) Rajiv Ranjan said Nagar, who had worked at a pharmacy, was in touch with the supplier. Srichand owns a small courier company and used to obtain and deliver parcels from railway stations. Mishra, police said, was lured into the syndicate by Nagar.

On Monday night, the police got information that Nagar would be supplying a cache of Tramadol after obtaining it from Srichand in Bhagirath Place market, Ranjan said.

“The input said the suspect would be near Red Fort to deliver a huge consignment. A raid was conducted and three men were arrested,” Ranjan said.

“During interrogation, Nagar said he was working on the instructions of a person who procures Tramadol and other controlled and psychotropic substances to supply them to different parts of the country through courier services,” the additional commissioner said.

Chand received and delivered parcels on Nagar’s instructions, he said.

Ranjan said Tramadol has been internationally smuggled and has possible supply links to global terror groups such as the ISIS.

“The synthetic opiate is known to be abused on a wide scale to suppress pain and boost strength during injury and induce a sense of euphoria. Hence, it is also known as the ‘fighter drug’ among international anti-narcotics authorities,” he said.

First Published: Sep 06, 2018 09:40 IST