AHMEDABAD: The police in Vadodara city of Gujarat got the custody of Canadian drug dealer Xie Jeng Fang alias Richard, who had fled from police custody 10 years ago and was extradited from Hong Kong, on Thursday, an official said.
The NCB had nabbed Richard along with two others for alleged possession of methamphetamine, a psychotropic drug, worth Rs 12 crore on the outskirts of Vadodara city in November 2008, inspector S G Solanki of Vadodara Special Operations Group (SOG) said.
The accused was then lodged in Vadodara Central Jail, and on April 28, 2011, he was taken to SSG Hospital for treatment, from where he managed to escape, the official said, adding that a case was registered at Raopura police station at that time.
“Richard first went to Surat and then fled to Canada via Nepal.
He later entered Hong Kong using a bogus passport, but was eventually arrested there in a money laundering case.
He was sentenced to four years of imprisonment by the Hong Kong authorities.
We learnt about Richard’s whereabouts and his imprisonment in 2012,” Solanki said.
With the Centre’s intervention, the Vadodara police sent an extradition proposal seeking Richard’s custody, he said.
Although the authorities had ordered his extradition after the completion of his sentence there, Richard had filed an appeal in Hong Kong challenging the order, Solanki said.
“However, his appeal was dismissed in May this year.
As directed by Hong Kong’s Consulate General, two of our officials travelled to Hong Kong and brought Richard back.
He will be handed over to Raopura police and the NCB for further processing,” the official added.