Hyderabad: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Excise Enforcement Directorate has unearthed another drug racket gang operating in the twin cities and seized large quantities of cocaine and LSD. After having gathered credible information that a six-member gang of Nigerians were peddling drugs by operating from their posh residence in an apartment in Shaikpet, the SIT raided the premises on Friday night. However, on seeing the large force of Excise personnel approaching the apartment, five members of the gang managed to escape and one was apprehended. Based on the information provided by the arrested Nigerian, the SIT officers kept a vigil at a posh star hotel in Panjagutta area and nabbed two persons while they were in the process of supplying cocaine to the hotel customers. The SIT officers found out that one of the two arrested was working in the hotel and was the main contact for customers visiting the hotel for their regular quota of drugs. The two were stated to be procuring their supply of drugs from the Nigerian gang. Investigations revealed that the gangsters had come to the city to pursue higher studies and during the course of their stay have found drug peddling a lucrative business. Their main clientele were students coming from elite families and who were in possession of cell phones and credit or debit cards. Besides, these students, the other customers were high society members, including from the film fraternity, frequenting pubs and posh hotels. The Nigerian gang was stated to be operating by extensively using modern technology like darknet websites to market its “products”, which it used to procure from abroad. However, this gang had no link with the Kelvin gang nabbed earlier. It may be mentioned here that a number of these “foreign students”, especially the Nigerians and Caucasians, were regularly being caught by the police while trying to smuggle in contraband drugs. Even a number of persons connected with the Telugu film industry also fell into the police net for possession and consumption of drugs. And most of these so-called foreign students were nabbed in the posh areas of Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Filmnagar areas. Incidentally, many prominent educational institutions, including international schools, are situated in these posh areas. Since many multi national companies are in these areas abutting the Hitech City, these schools cater to the needs of the children of the IT professionals. Thus keeping all these factors in view, the SIT has been keeping a close watch in these areas by setting up special teams. And during these vigilance operations, the SIT came to know about the operation of the Nigerian gang. While one of the members of the gang was nabbed and others had fled, a vigorous hunt is on to trace the others. (NSS)

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