Assam’s most wanted drug mafia kingpin in state police net

During the raid on the flat, three confederates of Haque were also apprehended and a huge quantity of drugs was also siezed, police said.

North 24-Parganas Additional SP (Barrackpore) Subrata Sen told Express that Haque had been in Kolkata for the last one and a half year.

“He used to change locations frequently but we finally tracked him down to Baguihati. We also arrested Karim, Gyanendra Das and Ali Ahmed and siezed 10 kg of ganja and 200 gm of heroin from the flat. He has since been remanded in judicial custody. Interrogation is going on and we feel that the drugs were diverted from the North-east via Kolkata to Bangladesh and other Indian states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh,” said Sen.

In 2004, Assam police intercepted a BSF vehicle on the Kolia-Bhomora Bridge linking Nagaon and Tezpur, and found fake BSF personnel with the biggest consignment of ganja. Also, in 2005, a gas tanker was intercepted at Kshetri near Guwahati which was stuffed with ganja instead of gas. Both consignments belonged to Haque.

On September 12, 2006 Haque was allegedly involved in the killing of Tarun Kumar Dutta, an officer with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence who had reportedly intercepted his drug consignments, estimated to be worth over Rs 40 crore in the international market.

The Guwahati High Court on September 28, 2006 turned down the request for anticipatory bail of Haque, since then he was absconding.

Sources in Guwahati, however, said the Assam police was not very active in pursuing Haque’s case as he had powerful political connections.

Also in May, 2006, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Habib Ali was shot dead and Haque’s son-in-law Zahiruddin Islam was arrested in this connection. But police had to release Islam as Haque stormed the Morajhar police station with thousand of people.

More recently, on April 1 this year, four persons were arrested in the Morajhar police station area of Nagaon district of Assam in connection with the murder of Muslimuddin, a local scribe with the vernacular “Asomiya Pratidin” who had done a series of investigative stories on the nexus between politicians and the drug mafia. During interrogation, the arrested individuals had revealed that they were associated with Haque.

“We are aware that Haque is wanted in many cases in Assam, but as of now we have charged him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. If the Assam police will approach us, we will act according to the situation,” said Sen.