Declare drug kingpin proclaimed offender: Plea in Nalagarh court

Ambika Sharma

Solan, November 25

The State Narcotics Crime Control Unit (SNCCU) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has moved a plea to declare a resident of Sikar in Rajasthan, Vikas Meena, the kingpin of a multi-crore illegal drug racket, a proclaimed offender (PO) before the Nalagarh court as he has been evading arrest since the case was registered in December 2021.

ASP Dinesh Sharma said all formalities such as serving non-bailable warrants and issuing a proclamation had been completed against the Sikar-based wholesale drug dealer, operating WB Medicose, as part of the procedure to declare an accused a PO by the court.

The probe revealed that within two years, drugs worth crores, including NDPS scheduled drugs, were sent to several states, including Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, on fake bills through Zannet Pharmaceuticals, Baddi. The firm sold the drugs to Vikas Meena’s WB Medicose at Sikar on paper, but these were diverted to illegal markets.

State Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha and his team, while auditing the transactions of M/s Zannet Pharmaceuticals, Baddi, found suspicious sales following which they asked the police to investigate the matter.

A case was registered against the firm under Sections 8, 21, 22 and 29 of the NDPS Act and Sections 420, 468, 471 and 120 B of the IPC for cheating and forgery by the SNCCU after a probe in December 2021.

Vikas Meena, however, could not be arrested despite notices being pasted outside his wholesale shop at Gali No. 3, Kacheri Market, Sikar, as well as at his residence.

Two others arrested in the case in December — Dinesh Bansal, proprietor, M/s Zannet Pharmaceuticals, a licensed company at Baddi, and his manager, Sonu Sain — were in judicial custody.

The ASP said as per the fake bills seized during the investigation, drugs worth Rs 21 lakh had been traded.

He, however, added that since the kingpin based at Sikar was yet to be arrested, they could not ascertain where the drugs had been diverted. Procedures such as attaching the property of the kingpin would be initiated once he was declared a PO, he said.