After years of being on the radar of law enforcement, the lady don of Delhi, Zoya Begum Khan, wife of notorious gangster Hashim Baba, was finally arrested by the Delhi Special Cell on Thursday.
Despite knowing that Zoya runs her husband's illegal operations, the police have been unable to gather any proof against her - until on Thursday - they caught her in possession of 270 grams of heroin worth around Rs 1 crore, reported NDTV.
Special Cell ACP Sanjay Dutt and Inspector Sandeep Dabas finally managed to trap her in a drug case. Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested her from Northeast Delhi’s Welcome area while she was supplying drugs.
Hashim Baba has several cases against him, ranging from murder, and extortion to arms smuggling. Zoya, baba's third wife, took over the gang operations after Baba was jailed last year in Tihar jail in connection with the murder of a gym owner, Nadir Shah, in South Delhi's Greater Kailash.
Who is Zoya Begum Khan?
Zoya, who was married before she met Hashim and married Baba in 2017, took over his illegal operations mirroring the role of Haseena Parkar, sister of the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, while also managing her lavish lifestyle of often attending high-profile parties and flaunting expensive brands, as seen on her social media.
She visited Baba in Tihar Jail regularly, where he reportedly trained her in the gang's operations and coded language, reported Free Press Journal.
Investigations revealed that Zoya had sourced the drugs from Muzaffarnagar for further distribution. The Special Cell also suspected her involvement in sheltering shooters in the Nadir Shah murder case and is gathering evidence against her.
Zoya's family is also linked to crimes. Her mother, recently out on bail, was jailed in 2024 for her involvement in a sex trafficking ring. Her father was related to drug supply networks.
The 'lady don' links
Zoya operates from different locations in North East Delhi, particularly Usmanpur, always surrounded by 4-5 armed henchmen - loyalists of her gangster husband. She also has links to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
According to NDTV citing police sources, Baba and Bishnoi developed ties during the former's imprisonment in 2021. Despite being held in separate jails, they maintained contact through illicit phone lines and video calls, coordinating criminal activities from behind bars.
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