Nigerian national makes startling revelations

Mahesh Sharma

Raikot, January 19

If revelations made by a Nigerian national, who has been nabbed by the local police on the charge of drug trafficking, are to be believed, then many foreign nationals are entering India in the guise of students and undertaking illegal activities.

The apprehended Nigerian national, identified as Ebuka Okonkwo, has an identity card of a renowned university of Dehli but never attended classes at the department mentioned in the card.

The Raikot police have initiated the process to verify the drug peddler’s identification and persons who facilitated his stay in India as a student.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)-Raikot Gurmit Singh Tejey said Ebuka Okonkwo, kingpin of an international gang of drug traffickers, was nabbed by the Sadar police, led by SHO Simarjit Singh, from Delhi. His accomplices, identified as Deepan Gupta, Khush Hal, alias Sahil Sharma; and Gagan Vij, all residents of Ludhiana, were nabbed from separate places by the joint teams of the Raikot police and the counter-intelligence cell acting under the supervision of SSP-Ludhiana (Rural) Varinder Singh Brar.

While preliminary investigations have revealed that Ebuka Okonkwo was the main supplier to the nabbed traffickers, the police are yet to ascertain his antecedents and probable links with other gangs operating in the region. The investigating team has initiated verification of his activities in India and at his native place. “Ebuka Okonkwo being a foreign national, we have to follow certain guidelines during the investigation. But at the onset of investigation, we have sent a communiqué to the Nigerian Embassy in New Delhi,” said DSP Gurmit Singh Tejey.

Investigations further revealed that Ebuka Okonkwo had been supplying heroin and cocaine to retailers for over eight months but was not apprehended as he posed as a student of a renowned university of Delhi.

Brar claimed that the investigating team had recovered 800 gm of heroin and 610 gm of cocaine from the members of the gang arrested from separate places. “We have also seized Rs 30 lakh in cash from Khush Hal and Gagan, which was made by selling earlier consignments of drugs,” said Brar.