Mysuru, known as the historical royal city of Karnataka, is famous for its beauty, culture, cleanliness, temples, royal palace, food, education, nature, yoga, and much more. Mysuru is not only the first choice for tourists from across India but also from around the world. However, Mysuru is also known for its drug trade. Many agents are operating in the city, providing drugs to tourists at their convenience. After an investigation spanning almost two years by Aryavarth Express, we discovered some key points about how agents arrange drugs in Mysuru.
Mysuru is a beautiful city, offering a rich experience with its historical significance, nature, pleasant weather, and more. It’s often referred to as a city of joy and a perfect destination to relax and enjoy. Last year, in 2022-2023, nearly 33 lakh (3.3 million) tourists visited Mysuru, both from other parts of India and abroad. The historical city of Mysuru, ready to serve all guests with all kinds of facilities, unfortunately now includes drugs as part of its offerings, making it the “Drug Capital” of Karnataka.
Some people from the business community are involved in this illegal activity, with the support of local individuals. Through our investigation, we found three categories of individuals involved in the network:
- Investor
The investor Navin Kumar Gupta is the main person who manages all the funds and risks for the entire team. They take care of government-related matters, arrange funds for local agents, and handle risks. The key role of the investor is to arrange funds, either in cash or through hawala, to purchase drugs and ensure their delivery into the city. The safest route for drugs to enter the city is the Goa-Mysuru corridor. - Local Agents
Local agents come into play once the drugs arrive in the city. They work under the investor and are responsible for distributing the drugs to other local agents, maintaining records, collecting money, and resolving any local issues. During our investigation, we found that a man named Shobit Kedia is one of the main agents in Mysuru. Our team tried to contact him and obtained some information about how the network operates. When asked about the investor, he shared minimal details, saying, “He is a very big businessman, running a steel plant in Mysuru. He is also invested in real estate and owns thousands of acres of land in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.” Shobit mentioned that from Mysuru, the drugs are also supplied to Bengaluru and Ooty. - Financer
Financers are individuals who work under the main agents. Their role is to finance the local agents on a monthly basis. During our conversation with Shobit Kedia, he mentioned a financier named Shital Darda, who arranges funds in cash. When we met Shital Darda, he was not difficult to contact and, in our first meeting, directly stated, “I finance anyone in cash, via bank transfer, or I can provide you with my credit card. You just need to tell me your requirement, and in return, provide me with either a letter or a call from Shobit as Guarantee”
This is the detailed story of our investigation in the royal city. Aryavarth Express has all the contact details and addresses of the individuals involved in this network, and we hope the concerned government agencies will take swift action to eliminate this issue.
