NCB busts pan-India drug network ‘Team Kalki’, arrests 2 top operators

SECURITY

9 MARCH 2026

• The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled a pan-India drug distribution network operating under the name ‘Team Kalki’ through the darknet since January 2025.
• Two accused, identified by the agency as Anurag Thakur and his associate Vikas Rathi, have been arrested.
• During the operation, the NCB seized 2,338 LSD blotters, 160 MDMA (Ecstasy) pills weighing over 77 gm, 73.61 gm of charas (hashish), 3.64 gm of amphetamine, and 3.6 kg of liquid MDMA from 13 domestically intercepted parcels, and two parcels originating from the Netherlands and linked to the network.
• ‘Team Kalki’ was being operated by the two accused, who were “habitual offenders and were previously arrested in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act”, the agency said.
• “Initially, the accused were active on the darkweb forum ‘Dread’. Once established there, they also started their operations through the encrypted ‘Session’ messaging application for vending and order fulfilment,” the Central agency said.
• Its initial probe has indicated that the network had a pan-India distribution footprint, the NCB said.
• Under the scanner were some consignments intercepted and seized by law enforcement agencies before delivery in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, and Karnataka.
• The network is suspected to have dispatched more than 1,000 consignments since January 2025.
• The accused accepted payments through cryptocurrencies using unhosted wallets, including Monero and USDT.
• The accused sourced LSD and MDMA from international darknet vendors based in the Netherlands, Poland, and Germany.
• The investigation also uncovered the alleged use of the “dead drop” delivery technique, wherein parcels containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were placed at pre-determined locations instead of being handed over directly to customers.
• Buyers were subsequently informed of the location details, enabling them to collect the parcels. This method was used only in limited areas in Delhi, and primarily for customers with a history of multiple prior orders.
• For pan-India deliveries, the accused predominantly used courier/parcel services. In order to avoid detection, a different courier or parcel service booking office was used for each consignment, the NCB said.