Vadodara ransom probe: How Rs 10 lakh hawala drop in Delhi led cops to Rs 4 crore heroin stash

What began with threats to a Vadodara businessman and a demand for Rs 10 crore in ransom took the Vadodara city police to Delhi, where an alleged associate of the Rohit Godara gang was arrested in a joint operation with the Delhi Police Special Cell while he was coming to collect Rs 10 lakh through hawala.

A search of a car linked to the accused then allegedly uncovered heroin worth Rs 4 crore. Kuldeep Ganeshdas Swami, a resident of Kalyanpura village in Rajasthan’s Churu district, was arrested in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk on Saturday when he had allegedly arrived there to collect the money on behalf of the gang, according to a statement by the Vadodara Detection of Crime Branch (DCB).

As per the police, the businessman had agreed to pay Rs 10 lakh to the accused, who decided to receive the money through a hawala channel in Delhi. Based on information gathered during the investigation, the Vadodara DCB team, along with the Delhi Special Cell, laid a watch in the Chandni Chowk area on Saturday.

At around 5.30 pm, Swami allegedly reached the location to collect the extortion money and was intercepted by the two teams. During a preliminary interrogation, Swami allegedly told the police that he had come at the behest of the Rohit Godara gang to collect the ransom.

Swami was in possession of a key to a Maruti Swift vehicle. The police said Swami then disclosed that the car had been parked at Jai Vihar in Najafgarh and was carrying narcotics. A team subsequently took Swami to the location where the car was parked.

On searching its boot, the officers allegedly found four packets containing 2.075 kg of heroin, valued at approximately Rs 4 crore. The vehicle was also seized for investigation. The seizure also led the Delhi Police Special Cell to register a separate case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, invoking Sections 21 and 25.

The police are now investigating the source of the heroin and its intended recipient. The police suspect Swami was part of a network involved in extortion and drug trafficking. The Vadodara Crime Branch is seeking Swami’s remand in the extortion case as investigators try to establish the identities and roles of other alleged associates, including any local or interstate operatives involved in the racket.

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.

Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.

Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.

Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).

Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.

Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora.

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