Noida (UP), Oct 16 (PTI) With the arrest of a woman and her four aides here, the Noida police Tuesday claimed to have busted a gang of drug traffickers operating in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).

The police also recovered 8.65 kg of cannabis and Rs 1.52 lakh in cash from the possession of the gang members, who were held from a park in Sector 9 Monday, officials said.

Two women were among the five accused arrested by a Noida Sector 20 police station team, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Pal Sharma told reporters.

Those arrested included Noorie, also known as the "Lady Don" in the local circuit for her stronghold in the drugs trade, the gang's mastermind, besides Manju Begum, Mohammad Shabbir, Om Chaudhury and Mohit Valmiki, he said.

"The gang would procure the cannabis from Old Delhi and sell it here in Noida city. Their main customers were rickshaw and autorickshaw drivers, the youth from the slum areas as well as the students of the local colleges," Sharma added.

The gang also had operations in Ghaziabad and the bordering areas of Noida city, he said, adding that they sold the cannabis in small packets costing from Rs 50 up to Rs 220, depending on the quality of the narcotic.

During investigation, it emerged that the group had donated Rs 2 lakh from their illegal business for organising a Durga Puja pandal in the city, Sharma said.

"We are further investigating their links and other details are also being probed," the SSP said, adding that one of the gang members was absconding and a search was on to nab him.

According to the police, all the accused had cases registered against them at various police stations in Noida under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Indian Penal Code.

"Noori has nine cases against her, while Shabbir has 10, Mohit, Om and Manju have two each," a police official said.

All the accused were remanded to judicial custody, he added.

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