Early this month, five parcels of banned drugs were seized from a Delhi-based management graduate by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). He had received them from the US despite the lockdown imposed to contain the coronavirus spread.

The accused, in construction material business, had been receiving contraband using the identities of his tenants and other people, officials said. “He had a contact in Russia who arranged parcels from the US to be sent to him in India,” said Rajesh Nandan Srivastava, Deputy Director General, NCB. Drug syndicates are also misusing essential service vehicles to beat the lockdown, Mail Today has learnt. This is happening after pubs, bars, discos and other party hotspots shut

and cross-border consignments dried up, sinking Delhi’s ever-flourishing business of drugs worth hundreds of crores of rupees. Similarly, with no vaccine in sight and strict social distancing being followed, flesh trade has been hit hard too, with many escort agencies shutting shop as girls have refused to work. But sex rackets have also “reinvented” and moved to “online services” to beat the lockdown and cater to select customers at a premium.

THE NARCO BIZ

Delhi has been infamous for consumption and being a transit hub of the narcotics trade. Every month, drugs worth Rs 100 crore are consumed in the National Capital. Consignments worth several thousand crores of rupees are also trafficked from here. Transit routes from where drugs reach India are both international as well as interstate. Heroin, cocaine, Meow Meow, LSD, amphetamines (speed) and methylamphetamines (ICE, crystal meth) are pumped into international routes including Pakistan en route to Europe, North America (mainly Canada),Gulf countries, South Asia, Bangladesh and Nepal.

‘EMERGENCY SUPPLIES’

“Drug syndicates have changed their business model to circumvent the lockdown. They have also taken advantage of the lockdown,” said KPS Malhotra, Deputy Director (Operations), NCB. “In many cases, traffickers have misused free interstate movement of essential services vehicles during the lockdown for supplies,” he added.

VIGIL INTENSIFIED

Now, NCB has increased vigil across all state borders. In four different operations, in May, it seized large quantities of opium, psychotropic drugs and ganja. In one of the cases, opium had been concealed under the driver’s seat in a national permit truck. “But since March 22, when the government banned international flights, apart from other commercial activities, drug supply chains have been broken. Most international seizures were made at air-zonal director, NCB.

SEX RACKETS

Mail Today has learnt that pimps of Delhi’s GB Road and escort agencies are serving customers from different hideouts, charging hefty amounts for taking risks at the time of the lockdown. They claim that they will provide workers fully sanitised and marked safe in Aarogya Setu App. These agencies are also helping clients find safe places.

‘ESSENTIAL SERVICES’

“At the time of the lockdown, when most escort services are suffering huge financial losses, placement agencies have overpowered them and started working part-time to make supplies,” said Rakesh Sengar, executive director at Kailash Satyarthi Foundation. “With essential services passes issued for shops or nursing staff, these placement agencies are catering to clients in Delhi,” he said.

‘DIGITAL PUSH’

Thousands of sex workers in Delhi-NCR have also digitised services and are going online to serve customers. On the condition of anonymity, a Delhi-based pimp said: “Regular customers are ready to pay extra. Keeping in mind the protocols of this pandemic, fulfilling their demand was impossible. But with the help of technology, we are connecting customers and workers via video calls.”

Another pimp from a red light area said: “As the business continues to drop, we too have opted for online services. Initially, we were not sure that this would work. But after two weeks of the lockdown, we have had good business.” “The lockdown has given a boom to online prostitution as well as online trafficking. We are keeping a tight vigil on the people associated with relief providers in traffickingprone areas. Post lockdown, a lot of trafficking is expected.

Meanwhile, traffickers are identifying targets as well as pimps in Delhi-NCR,” said Rishi Kant, co-founder of Shakti Vahini, an anti-trafficking NGO.

GLOBAL STUDY

In a recently completed study titled, ‘Modelling the Effect of Continued Closure of Red-Light Areas on COVID-19 Transmission in India’, academicians from Yale School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School found Indians are at a much lower risk of getting the virus if red light areas are kept closed after the lockdown, until an effective treatment or vaccine is developed. The findings of the research conducted by Yale School of Medicine have been shared with the Centre and various state governments along with a recommendation to continue closure of red light areas beyond full nation-wide reopening.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi says India’s lockdown has failed, asks Centre what’s Plan B to battle coronavirus

Also Watch | Coronavirus: Did nationwide lockdown make a difference?