A Himachal police team has arrested a Nigerian from Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi on charges smuggling heroin in the state, taking the number of such foreigners in recent weeks to 11.
A Kullu police team nabbed Ugochukwu John Obiako alias David, a resident of Obinna Anambara state in Nigeria, with the help of Railway Protection Force minutes before he was to take a train to Goa, said Kullu Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh.
David, 30, was also found to be living in the country without any valid travel document like visa or passport, he said, adding he had been operating as drug supplier to the state while living in West Sagarpur in Delhi.
The SP said the accused was brought to Kullu on Friday on a transit remand by a Delhi court.
David was arrested on the basis of revelations made by his eight co-accused, all African nationals, during their interrogations after their arrests in cases related to the supply of narcotics to various places in the state, said Singh.
They had said David used to supply heroin to them who further used to peddle the contraband in the state, the SP said, adding the probe into the case had revealed that a total of ten heroin used to source huge quantity of heroin from David for drug-peddling in Himachal between August and December 2019.
The Nigerian was arrested following surveillance of his mobile phone numbers that he had been using for smuggling drug, said Singh, adding he was also arrested twice earlier by the Delhi and Goa police.