NEW DELHI: One of the country’s most-wanted fugitives, Ritik Bajaj, accused in a Rs 13,000-crore drug trafficking case, has been extradited from the UAE and brought back to India on Tuesday, a senior officer said.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), facilitated the return of the wanted fugitive from the UAE. Bajaj was the subject of an Interpol Red Corner Notice.Acting on intelligence inputs from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), New Delhi, his location was geo-tracked, triggering an international operation. Coordination between the CBI and the NCB in Bangkok led to credible travel movement data, which confirmed Bajaj’s shift to the UAE. Further collaboration with the NCB in Abu Dhabi helped locate the fugitive.Bajaj had been on the wanted list of the Delhi Police and the NCB since October 2024. In October last year, the Delhi Police seized 1,289 kg of cocaine and 40 kg of hydroponic Thai marijuana, valued at Rs 13,000 crore, in Delhi and Gujarat. Five accused were arrested, and a chargesheet was filed against 14 people, including Ritik Bajaj.Investigators said the drugs were brought to Ankleshwar from South American countries for purification at a pharmaceutical company and were later supplied to Delhi. The police found that several pharmaceutical companies based in South India and Gujarat were allegedly used to transport the drugs. Five legitimate firms and three shell companies were identified.The suppliers allegedly used Delhi as a transit point to distribute the drugs to other parts of the country.The Baisoya brothers—Virender alias Veeru and Ravinder—are allegedly at the centre of the massive drug trafficking network. They are residents of Pilanji village, located behind Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar market. Virender Baisoya alias Veeru, described by the police as the kingpin of the international syndicate, is alleged to be operating the racket from Dubai.Last year, the police booked 19 people allegedly linked to the cartel. Of them, 14 have been arrested, including Tushar Goyal, an heir to two publishing houses, while five were declared proclaimed offenders.The proclaimed offenders include Virender Baisoya, the Dubai-based businessman allegedly funding the cartel’s operations; his younger son Rishab Baisoya, 25; Ritik Bajaj, 36; Pramod, 50; and Vikas Rane, 49.The police have claimed that it was Ritik Bajaj who allegedly facilitated the transportation of Thai marijuana to India from Southeast Asia.
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