Guwahati: Recent arrest of two Nigerian drugs smugglers in Guwahati has exposed a ‘link’ of ‘ecstasy’ drug cartel in Shillong.
A police team, led by Partha Sarathi Mahanta, joint commissioner of Guwahati Police on Saturday arrested two Nigerian nationals carrying 20 grams of Cocaine from the railway station.
Based on specific intelligence input, the police team had launched the operation, and confiscated the Cocaine consignment from the two Nigerian drugs smugglers, sources said.
The two Nigerian Cocaine smugglers were identified as Emmanuel Enuma Dike and Ifeanyi Charles Okuakaj.
The Nigerian drugs smugglers confessed that they were to handover the Cocaine consignment to a ‘carrier’ of a Shillong-based high-profile client.
Based on the confession of the two Nigerian drugs smugglers, police picked up one Sony Sonar, a driver.
After several hours of interrogation, Sony Sonar confessed that he was asked by his owner, Prateek Agarwal, to collect the ‘packet’ from the two Nigerian nationals.
Subsequently, Prateek Agarwal was picked up, and during the interrogation, it was found that he is a Shillong-based businessman, and son of Kamal Agarwal, owner of Alpine Continental, a well-known hotel in Shillong.
Police sources said Prateek Agarwal admitted that he had asked Sony Sonar to collect the ‘packet’ of Cocaine from the two Nigerian drugs smugglers.
Prateek Agarwal reportedly confessed that he had deputed his driver Sony Sonar on Saturday to collect the consignment of Cocaine from the two Nigerian nationals at the Guwahati Railway Station, police sources said.
Along with the two Nigerian drugs smugglers, Prateek Agarwal and Sony Sonar were also produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Guwahati.
Prateek Agarwal’s statement was recorded in the court, and was subsequently released. He was advised not to leave Guwahati.
Despite repeated attempts, Prateek Agarwal was not available for comments. When his father, Kamal Agarwal was contacted in Shillong, he refused to comment.
“I don’t want to say anything, and Prateek (Agarwal) is not in Shillong. And he will not speak to any journalist,” Kamal Agarwal said.
Sources said Prateek Agarwal has also given names of two Guwahati-based businessmen, claiming that he had instructed his driver to collect the packet from the Nigerian nationals as per their instruction.
However, police refused to divulge any details about the two Guwahati-based businessmen, claiming that investigations are on, and they are trying to arrest some more people.
Sources also said one lady from Meghalaya was also picked up for interrogation in connection with the Cocaine smuggling case.
However, police refused to divulge any details about the lady, claiming that it may hamper in the process of the ongoing investigation.