Pics by Rons Bantwal
Mumbai, Jun 9: In a series of raids conducted over the past month, the Anti-Narcotic Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch seized over 244 kg of ganja and charas and three vehicles used to transport them, all estimated to be over Rs one crore. During the raids conducted by Kandivli, Worli and Bandra units of the Cell, 11 persons including suppliers and buyers, who allegedly belonged to an inter-state racket, were also arrested.
The Worli Unit had received information that a consignment of drugs from Jammu and Kashmir was being brought into the city. Acting on the tip-off, they arrested six persons and seized 87 kg of charas estimated to be over Rs 69.6 lakh.
“We arrested Mansingh Rajput and Mohammed Mukhtar Ahmed Bhatt, both J&K residents, Paramjitsingh Sardar and Jasbirsingh Siddhu, both residents of Amritsar who were travelling in a truck. We also arrested Inamullah Turki and Irfan Khan, residents of Mumbai, who had come to receive the drugs. The drugs were hidden in a compartment over the driver’s seat and our officials intercepted the vehicle at Bandra-Kurla Complex,” said joint commissioner of police, Crime, Himanshu Roy. Both Rajput and Khan have two previous cases against them and all the accused have been remanded in police custody till June 14.
Officials of the Kandivli unit intercepted a car carrying 33 kg of charas estimated to be over Rs 26.4 lakh and arrested five persons. “We had received information that Ibrahim Jehangir, a Thane resident, Alam Sheikh, a resident of Nagpada, and their accomplice Mohammed Sheikh were bringing charas into the city from J&K. Their car was intercepted at Ketkipada Road, Dahisar, and the trio was nabbed with the drugs. During their interrogation, we learnt about Ramzan Sheikh and Satish alias Bapu Padave and arrested them with eight kg of charas,” said Roy. They have been remanded in police custody rill June 17.
Officials said that they had information about charas fields in Jammu and Kashmir and they will be passing on the information to the local police there.
The ANC officials also arrested four persons for smuggling 107 kg ganja worth over Rs 2.1 lakh from Madhya Pradesh into Maharashtra. The officials arrested Gayauddin Pinjari, Dinesh Burla and Shiva Rathod, all residents of Madhya Pradesh, and Salim Sheikh, a resident of Aurangabad after intercepting their SUV at Dahisar. The accused had packed the ganja in three sacks, sewn them and hid them under their seats. The accused have been remanded in custody till June 14.
Officials from ANC’s Bandra Unit also arrested a 35 year-old woman Jyotsna Girish Rathod from Santacruz after receiving information that she had bought the drugs from one ‘Chacha’ from Nashik. The officials seized 15 kg of ganja worth Rs 30,000.
Officials of the Worli unit nabbed one Yusuf Mohammed Khan alias Munna at Mahim and seized two kg of charas worth Rs 1.6 lakh from him. Khan had reportedly brought the drugs from Kashmir and planned to sell them in Mumbai. He has been remanded to police custody till June 10.