Ahmedabad: The city cybercrime division apprehended a Russian national on Friday who had been residing in India with a counterfeit visa while allegedly engaging in drug trafficking in major cities, including Ahmedabad. Kolesnikov Vasilii, a Russian who had been staying in Goa, initially arrived in India on a tourist visa in 2014, which had expired in 2020.

Kolesnikov was found in Manali while possessing three fake Aadhar cards and four forged passports with e-visas during the investigation into an international drug racket case. However, as no drugs were found on him at the time of the arrest, he has been booked under IPC sections related to forgery.

Two weeks ago, the police had busted an international drug racket that used to send narcotics via Canada, America, and Thailand hidden in books and toys using courier services. Cocaine worth ₹2.31 lakhs, weighing 2.31 grams, and high-quality marijuana worth 5.95 kg, approximately worth ₹46 lakhs, were seized in that operation.

During the investigation, the police went to Surat, where Kolesnikov had been recently. This Russian individual allegedly played a central role in receiving packages from foreign post offices in cities such as Surat, Jaipur, Cochin, Kochi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, among other significant urban centers in India. According to sources, these packages contained cocaine and hybrid marijuana and were dispatched by a Russian drug cartel.

Assistant Commissioner of Police for Cybercrime, Jeetendra Yadav, mentioned that the Russian drug cartel was responsible for arranging hotel accommodations and flight bookings for Vasilii. “We have apprehended the primary individual responsible for ordering drugs within the city. The accused also organized events and played a significant role in the drug trade.”

The accused was sent a notice on October 9, summoning him before the Ahmedabad crime branch, and as he arrived at the city’s cybercrime office, he was apprehended on Friday.

Vasilii had exceeded his permitted stay in the country after the expiry of his visa, and the cybercrime division suspects his involvement in other suspicious activities. In 2021, the Worli police registered an offense against him after he was caught unlawfully entering and photographing in a restricted area in Mumbai. DeshGujarat