13 drug peddlers including a woman caught by Belagavi police

Belagavi: 13 drug peddlers from a notorious gang of Mumbai were arrested by Belagavi police. The drug peddlers including a woman were arrested and drugs worth several lakhs were seized.

A Mumbai-based drug peddler, Sushila Ponnaswamy, was running the racket with the help of locals. She used to supply drugs like panni and gajani and brown sugar and the gang has been operating in Belagavi for the last six years. Belagavi police arrested Sushila at Sion, in Mumbai, along with drugs in her possession.

A large number of students from various institutions in Belagavi are said to be regular customers. The police are yet to investigate the areas that are covered by Sushila’s link, which is expected to be spread across other cities in the state.

The police later nabbed the 12 members who ran Sushila’s supply network in Belagavi. According to Belagavi Police Commissioner D.C. Rajappa, police teams are carrying out regular operations on drug peddlers in the city.

The arrested members are identified as Yasin Shapuri from Azad Nagar, Shivaji Shinde from Sadashiva Nagar, Tabrez Andewale from Ghee Galli, Shakir Niami from Ujwal Nagar, Salim Makandar from Sadashiva Nagar, Yuvraj Sarnobat from Kangral Galli, Chirag Khedda, Saibaz Balekundri from Ujwal Nagar, Ijaz Mulla and Wasim Dalwai from Shahu Nagar.

800 packets of Panni were seized while arresting the members and investigation revealed that these packets were being sold to students on a daily basis.

It is said that for drug peddlers, Belagavi is a shipment point to supply their smuggled drugs to neighbouring Goa and other places.