Meerut drug syndicate kingpin flees raid using hidden basement exit, police launch manhunt

Representative image

A suspected drug kingpin in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut managed to avoid his arrest during a raid after he fled from a concealed basement exit that he had made at his home, officials as confirmed on Friday, as reported by NDTV.

Taslim, the accused, has over 70 criminal cases against him and is also known to be at the centre of a large narcotics network.

People at the prime of this investigation said that Taslim had constructed a secret underground chamber at his home, which was built at around 15 feet below ground level, primarily to stash drug consignments and facilitate escape during raids.

NDTV reported that the basement was full of wedding decor items including carpets and chairs. Police say that these items had been deliberately stored to divert attention from the illegal substances stored there.

The raid on Taslim’s house followed the arrest of his son, Shahbaz, and a close associate, Salman, a day earlier.

The police were acting on specific intelligence inputs when they intercepted the duo and were able to recover over 500 grams of charas from their possession. The police had gotten the information that a large drug shipment was about to move.

When officers returned the next day to search Taslim’s residence, the main accused reportedly slipped away using a narrow underground passage connected to the hidden basement. Police sources also allege that Taslim routinely used minors to transport drugs to avoid suspicion.

NDTV also reported that Taslim has been arrested previously too in different cases and is currently out on bail. Earlier, several properties linked to him were seized under the provisions of the Gangster Act.

The mission came amid a broader crackdown on narcotics networks across Uttar Pradesh, the report by NDTV said. A joint team of Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) had, earlier this month, seized nearly 73 kg of ganja concealed inside 12 inverter bodies, arresting four people in the process.

The accused in that case were identified as Arvind, also known as Bhura, Akdas, Moharram and Mohammad Sadiq. Police said Arvind was operating the supply chain, sourcing ganja from Jaipur and Odisha, while the others transported the consignments via public buses.

In another major operation on December 6, Meerut Police arrested five individuals allegedly connected to an interstate drug syndicate and recovered 125 kg of ganja.

Police said efforts are ongoing to track down Taslim and dismantle the wider network linked to him.