The ‘ordinary’ couple in Chennai inside of record heroin haul Sudhakar and Vaisali's neighbours say there was no hint of their alleged dealings or the searches on in their house, till September 25 morning.
At Govardhan Giri Apartments on VOC street in Kolapakkam, Chennai, a lady recalls that she was drawing the kolam (rangoli) at her doorstep the morning of September 17 when she was distracted by the presence of “too many folks, including women” within the flat opposite hers. Hours later, she would come to understand that the people she thought were guests of her usually quiet neighbours Machavaram Sudhakar and wife Govindaraju Durga Purna Vaisali, were officials from Central agencies on the trail of 1 of India’s biggest heroin hauls.
The couple are under arrest since a firm registered in Vaisali’s name, Aashi Trading Company, was found to be the intended recipient of nearly 3,000 kg of heroin worth Rs 21,000 crore, originating in Afghanistan, loaded in Iran, and seized at Mundra Port in Kutch, Gujarat, by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
The neighbours within the middle-class locality of Kolapakkam, located near Chennai International Airport, struggle to explain Sudhakar and Vaisali, parents of two children, 11 and 6, as anything aside from “ordinary” (the children are now with Sudhakar’s brother). that {they had|they'd} been living within the flat they had rented, for around Rs 10,000 a month, for 6 years. During the lockdown last year, Sudhakar had lost his job — a detail that several appear to understand among their neighbours.
Aashi Trading Company came up around now. As per DRI officials, Sudhakar has told them he started it in August last year within the name of his wife as business ventures established along with his credentials “were not successful”. The firm is registered at an address in Satyanarayana Puram in Vijayawada, province, in an exceedingly building owned by Vaisali’s mother. the corporate had an import-export licence from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Commerce.
A special NDPS court on last Friday sent Sudhakar and Vaisali to Palara Special Jail at the top of their extended remand. Officials said the involvement of the Chennai couple wasn't surprising. “Drug traders usually search out low-profile importers with valid licences… as an Afghani getting an import-export licence would raise suspicion,” a political candidate said.
Sudhakar and Vaisali’s neighbours say there was no hint of their alleged dealings or the searches on in their house, till Citizenship Day morning. The couple lived simply, were religious and had no “suspicious” guests, they say. in keeping with one among them, “They were like every other god-fearing Brahmin family who conducted pujas. They never had guests except Sudhakar’s mother. Vaisali’s brother’s wedding was held recently and that they visited attend it.”
While originally from Andhra, they spoke fluent Tamil having lived in Chennai for long. Sudhakar was also fluent in Hindi, a neighbour said.
While province Police sources say Sudhakar held employment as a cargo agent at Chennai harbour, neighbours say he had told them he wont to work with a number one industrial firm in Mylapore. “He wont to ride his two-wheeler to figure. They also had a car,” said another neighbour.
The DRI has arrested within the heroin haul case another person, Rajkumar P from Coimbatore, allegedly the key to the drug being smuggled into India from Iran disguised during a consignment of “semi-precious talc stones”. Having worked in Iran, Rajkumar reportedly had a “good network” there. he's in DRI custody till October 7.
Produced within the NDPS court in Bhuj, in Kutch district, Friday, Sudhakar and Vaisali sat near one another and spoke intermittently. To Additional Sessions Judge C M Pawar’s query on whether or not they had any complaints, they shook their heads.
Asked if they followed the proceedings, Sudhakar said he understood Hindi while Vaisali said she was finding it hard. The judge then directed that the lawyer provided to the couple by the District Legal Services Authority indicate to them the proceedings in Hindi
Flats at chennai where Sudhakar lived..