Now Reading: Women take over Delhi’s drug trade with crores in assets
-
01
Women take over Delhi’s drug trade with crores in assets
Women are now running large parts of Delhi's narcotics trade, amassing real estate portfolios worth crores, according to police. The shift happened because drug packets are easy to hide in clothing and…
The Story in Brief
Women are now running large parts of Delhi's narcotics trade, amassing real estate portfolios worth crores, according to police. The shift happened because drug packets are easy to hide in clothing and yield far higher profits than bootlegging. Investigators told TOI that procedural safeguards meant to protect women from harassment are being exploited: female suspects can only be searched by women officers, and arrests after sunset require a magistrate's permission, often delaying action.
Syndicate leaders include Paro, Usha and Kanta, a sister trio arrested in June who built assets worth nearly Rs 2 crore from drugs. Another woman, Kusum, operated a fortified mansion in Sultanpuri and laundered money through her daughters' bank accounts. Police say they are planning to induct more women into anti-narcotics teams to counter the trend.
The Indian Opinion
The story casts women as masterminds exploiting legal safeguards, but that is only half the picture. Many entered the trade only after male relatives were jailed, turning courier work into family business out of economic desperation. The real failure is visible: police lacked enough women officers to conduct raids, and the NDPS Act's arrest protections became loopholes. The test now is whether Delhi Police can match its rhetoric with recruitment and training of women in anti-narcotics teams, or if the trade will find yet another workaround.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
