20-year-old smuggler caught during cricket match:Coaches village players, builds a network in Raj and MP; his father stays in jail

A 20-year-old smuggler wanted in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan has been caught by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in Pratapgarh. The accused, Avesh from Barwani district of MP, was attending a local cricket tournament when the team arrested him on Tuesday. Authorities say he also trains village players and has a strong interest in cricket. His father is already in prison for an NDPS case. MP police had tipped off the Task Force after receiving information that he was in Pratapgarh. Smuggling network spread between Rajasthan and MP Inspector General of Police Vikas Kumar of ATS ANTF Rajasthan stated that ANTF teams are not only taking action against drug trafficking in Rajasthan, but are also cooperating in the arrest of wanted accused in cases from other states. The MP Police team had sought help. After that, when the investigation began, it came to light that the accused, while living in Rajasthan, traffics narcotics in Madhya Pradesh. MP Police was looking for him. In such a situation, he was running the entire network from Rajasthan itself. Vikas Kumar said- Avesh is a resident of Kotri village. He dropped out of school after studying till 10th grade. A year ago, his father, Badshah Khan, was jailed in an NDPS Act case. After this, as the family’s financial situation worsened, Avesh came into contact with smugglers from MP. After this, he started smuggling in Rajasthan-Madhya Pradesh.
Active role in MD and poppy husk smuggling Police investigation revealed that Avesh initially worked on a small scale, but due to high profits, he started smuggling MD and poppy husk. He used to transport drugs from Rajasthan and supply them to Madhya Pradesh. For a long time, he evaded police surveillance, but after his name surfaced in a case in Barwani district in 2025, he was declared wanted. Even after this, he did not completely stop his work and continued smuggling secretly. Whenever the Madhya Pradesh police came to Rajasthan in search of him, he would change his location beforehand. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan police were also unable to get concrete information about his whereabouts. Caught by his love for cricket The ANTF team started gathering intelligence to apprehend the accused. During this, it was discovered that Avesh was very fond of cricket. He also used to go to watch cricket tournaments held around the village. It was also learned that he coached local youth in cricket. When information about a major cricket tournament in Kotri village and surrounding areas was received, the police suspected that the accused would definitely be there. Based on this, the team formulated a strategy and began surveillance. On Tuesday, there was a cricket tournament in Kotri village. It was revealed that he was also training the village players for this tournament. During the match in the tournament, when the team spotted Avesh, they apprehended him on the spot. The teams from ANTF Outpost Pratapgarh and Chittorgarh played a role in this operation. The accused has been arrested and relevant agencies have been informed for further action.