According to officials, Avesh was attending—and informally coaching players at—a village-level cricket match when ANTF personnel moved in and detained him. The arrest came after Madhya Pradesh Police shared intelligence indicating that the accused was hiding in Pratapgarh and continuing to operate a cross-border drug trafficking network.

Inspector General of Police Vikas Kumar, who oversees the ATS and ANTF in Rajasthan, said the arrest reflected growing inter-state coordination against narcotics trafficking. “The Rajasthan ANTF is not only acting against drug syndicates operating within the state but is also extending full cooperation to other states to arrest wanted offenders,” he said.

Investigators said Avesh had been operating a smuggling network between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, primarily dealing in MD drugs and poppy husk. He allegedly procured narcotics from Rajasthan and supplied them to contacts in Madhya Pradesh, using frequent changes in location to evade surveillance. Police sources said his name surfaced in a Barwani district case in 2025, after which he was declared a wanted accused.

Background checks revealed that Avesh dropped out of school after Class 10. His father, Badshah Khan, was jailed about a year ago under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, leaving the family in financial distress. Officials believe this played a role in Avesh’s entry into the drug trade, where he initially worked at a small scale before expanding operations due to high profits.

Despite repeated attempts by Madhya Pradesh Police to trace him, Avesh allegedly managed to stay ahead of law enforcement by shifting bases within Rajasthan. Local police had limited success due to the absence of precise location inputs.

The breakthrough came when ANTF officers learned of his keen interest in cricket and his involvement in coaching village youth. Surveillance intensified around local tournaments, leading officers to the match in Kotri village, where he was arrested mid-event without incident.

The accused has been taken into custody, and relevant agencies in Madhya Pradesh have been informed for further legal proceedings. Police officials said further questioning is expected to yield information on suppliers and other members of the smuggling network operating across state borders.