UP drug trafficker builds 100m tunnel at home, uses it to escape police raid | Bareilly News
BAREILLY: After arresting his son and aide a day earlier, UP Police conducted a surprise raid at the home of alleged drug trafficker Tasleem Khan in Meerut on Friday hoping to pin him down there. Instead, the cops were in for a surprise as they found a 100m tunnel with a concealed entry, which investigators believe Tasleem — in his mid-50s — used to dodge the cops moments before the operation.SSP Meerut Vipin Tada told TOI: “The raid followed the arrest of Tasleem’s son, Shahbaz Khan, and his associate Mohd Salman on Thursday with 530g of ‘hashish’, after which a case was registered under the NDPS Act. Tasleem’s name came up during their interrogation. But he escaped. Nevertheless, we’ll find him soon.”“We have also written to the Meerut Development Authority to inspect the house. We will take further action based on their report,” SSP Tada said.Incidentally, the tunnel stretched from Tasleem’s house to a wedding venue. Officers said the passage appeared to have been used to move contraband. The house has been sealed, and forensic teams are examining the tunnel to identify the possible exit routes and storage points, said a cop privy to the case.Known for his evasive tactics in the past, Tasleem — a drug kingpin as per police records — had allegedly used children as couriers in the contraband trade. According to police, he even once disguised himself as a man with disability and used a modified scooter to evade arrest.Tasleem allegedly ran a family-operated narcotics syndicate for more than three decades and there are over 50 criminal cases against him. Properties linked to him, worth crores of rupees, had been seized under the Gangster Act, police said, adding that he was arrested a few times in the past only to get bail and “resume his illegal trade”.
