The three Nigerians, who were arrested by crime branch sleuths of the UT police for drug trade, speak Punjabi and Hindi. In a bid to spread their drug racket in rural areas, the accused learnt the local dialect to communicate with drug peddlers.
The accused, identified as 30-year-old Dennis Azuka Okoye, 38-year-old Ekpelechukwu Johan and 37-year-old Jackson Uzova, were arrested with 120 gm of heroin worth Rs 10 lakh in the international market.
The foreign nationals were supplying heroin in Chandigarh, Punjab and some parts of Haryana. The drug was also supplied in discotheques and clubs through local connections.
Police sources said the foreign nationals spoke Punjabi and Hindi, which was disclosed during the police interrogation when the accused started speaking in the local language. “It was surprising for us. We came to know that the accused learnt the language for easy communication with drug peddlers in rural areas,” said a crime branch sleuth.
Police officials said the call detail records of the accused showed some local numbers on which calls were made frequently. “We suspect that these numbers are of local drug peddlers,” said the officials.
The accused used to visit the city during weekends and supply drugs across the tricity.
A team of the crime branch has also been sent to Delhi to dig more information on the drug trade and its connections with Chandigarh. The police have also carried out a search of the house in Delhi where the accused were staying.
The police have also written to the Foreigner Regional Registration Office to inform them about the arrest of the foreign nationals for drug trade. The police have also sought information regarding them.
