Mumbai crime: Notorious woman drug-peddler held in Bandra, mephedrone worth Rs 9 lakh seized; more arrests likely

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The Mumbai police has arrested a notorious woman drug-peddler in Bandra and recovered from her mephedrone worth Rs 9 lakh, an official said on Wednesday.

The woman, identified as Nilofer Hafiz Sheikh alias Nilofer Cendole (45), was nabbed from Qureshi Nagar locality in Bandra (west) on Tuesday, he said.

"Based on a tip-off, she was caught when she reached the place to deliver 50 grams of mephedrone. She is a close aide of Rubina Niyazu Sheikh and Sabina Sarfaraz Khan, who are already on the radar of the city police. Rubina and Sabina are sisters, who operate a mephedrone drug supply network in the city," the official of Bandra police station said.

Mephedrone, commonly known as MD and meow meow, is banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

"The police found that Nilofer is a notorious drug-peddler, who was earlier arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and also named as an accused in other cases as well," he said.

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"Nilofer operates a business of supplying MD drug from MHADA ground in Bandra (west) with Rubina and Sabina," he said, adding that more people are likely to be arrested in the case.

Nilofer was arrested under relevant sections of the NDPS Act and further investigation was underway, the official added.

DRI seizes 7 kg cocaine worth Rs 70 cr at Mumbai international airport

On Tuesday, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) foiled smuggling bids at Mumbai International Airport and seized 7 kg of cocaine worth Rs 70 crore by arresting four carriers, including two foreign nationals, in separate incidents.

The Mumbai zonal unit of DRI also recovered a gun with five bullets from one of the accused who could not produce legal documents, he said. The weapon has been handed over to the local police.

All four incidents were reported in the last couple of days. A female was among the four arrested persons, the official said on Tuesday.

A DRI team apprehended two persons who were trying to smuggle in cocaine by concealing it in false cavities of their trolley bags, he said.

Separately, it was found that two carriers had swallowed (cocaine) drug capsules. They were admitted to the state-run JJ Hospital and the capsules were extracted, he said. (With inputs from PTI)