Techie held for selling drugs on dark web

The City Police on Wednesday busted a high-profile drug trafficking racket and arrested a city-based techie, a native of Uttar Pradesh, who was selling the intoxicants in the form of tablets and powders by trading on the dark web to escape detection. 

The accused, Nikhil Tiwari (32), a computer engineer, took to drug peddling after quitting his job. Police sources said popular drugs such as Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy (E), and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) were seized from him. 

The suspicion about the presence of a drug racket was brought to the attention of police officers after doctors in the city found that a man, who was admitted in a hospital for health complications, was addicted to drugs that are usually available only in foreign countries. Following this, police officers held a detailed probe that revealed that the man had purchased the drugs from a dealer in the city itself. 

Subsequently, a police team under the supervision of Adyar Deputy Commissioner Sashank Sai, led by inspector Christin Jayasil, laid a plan. They ordered the drugs on the dark web through one of his suppliers. Then, a caller claiming to be a drug dealer responded to the order and sought to know whether they wanted the foreign drug in the form of tablets or powder. He also fixed the date and time of the delivery.

When the peddler came near Tiruvanmiyur bus depot with the consignment, the police personnel who were laying in wait in plainclothes nabbed him. He was later identified as Nikhil Tiwari (32), a native of Uttar Pradesh, who had been residing at Valmiki Nagar for the past five months. Police raided his residence and confiscated tablets and drug powders worth Rs 5 lakh.