New Delhi: Delhi Police‘s Crime Branch has arrested a 39-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh who was allegedly supplying crude opium extract and chemicals used in heroin production.The accused, identified as Tufan Singh, alias Dale Singh, hails from Palkhanda village in Mandsaur district. According to police, Singh was a key link in a heroin supply network and is believed to have provided raw materials and even training to a co-accused, Mohammad Zahid (29), for manufacturing the substance.The case dates back to March 12, 2023, when the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) arrested Zahid in northeast Delhi’s Maujpur area with 500 grams of heroin. A subsequent search of his residence led to the recovery of 4.5 kg of heroin, 3.4 kg of suspected mixing powder, 0.935 grams of ammonia solution, 5.56 kg of colouring agents, six vials of Avil, weighing and currency-counting machines, Rs 25,800 in cash, and other incriminating items.During interrogation, Zahid revealed that his supply of crude opium extract and chemicals came from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh and Bhawani Mandi in Rajasthan. He named Singh as a key supplier.“Following this lead, ANTF teams conducted multiple raids in Madhya Pradesh, but Singh remained elusive. He went into hiding soon after the case was registered, effectively vanishing from the radar. In Feb 2024, he was declared a proclaimed offender,” said DCP (crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.On July 30, police received specific information that Singh was hiding in Shamgarh, Mandsaur. “The next day, a coordinated raid was carried out in Shamgarh, and Singh was apprehended based on a tip-off from a confidential source. He was brought to the ANTF office in Daryaganj, where intensive interrogation followed,” Yadav said.“During questioning, Singh allegedly admitted to supplying crude opium extract and chemicals to traffickers in Delhi and confirmed that he had gone underground after the 2023 case to avoid arrest,” Yadav said.Police said Singh’s village is known for both licensed opium cultivation and illegal trafficking. A Class V dropout, Singh is believed to have been drawn into the narcotics trade through local contacts.
