Mumbai: Dongri druglord Arif Bhujwala arrested in Raigad

Dongri druglord Arif Bhujwala

A week after Arif Bhujwala managed to give the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officers the slip, he was arrested from Mangaon in Raigad district, where he was hiding in the house of one of his henchmen. The NCB nabbed Bhujwala and two other people - a drug peddler and his driver - with help from the Raigad police. The cops have also seized five mobile phones from him.

According to the NCB, Bhujwala met Dawood's aide Kailash Rajput in Dubai after which the latter helped him with money to start the drug business. A total of four cases have been registered against Rajput in India. One case is with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, one with the Delhi Special Cell, one with the Mumbai Narcotics Cell and one with the NCB.

According to the NCB, Bhujwala smuggled drugs in food packets. In 2015, when Rajput fled the country, Bhujwala started supplying drugs across Maharashtra. He also bought a number of properties in his wife's name. The NCB has so far seized a total of four vehicles from Bhujwala, including a Toyota, an SUV and two motorcycles. The agency is currently checking the mobile phones that have been seized from him. "After Rajput escaped from the country, Bhujwala resumed his drug business that started fetching him a lot more money than before," said an NCB officer. Mumbai NCB Zonal Director Samir Wankhede said, "Initial probe has revealed that before the lockdown Bhujwala had gone to Dubai twice. We are trying to find out why he went there and who he met."