Mumbai: Police arrest three women of a family for drug peddling

(From left) Aarti Rai, her mother Meenadevi Rai and sister-in-law Pooja, arrested on the charges of drug peddling, were produced in the court on Wednesday

The Samta Nagar police arrested three women of a family who had been evading arrest for the past four months on charges of drug peddling. The arrested women were identified as Meenadevi Rai, 60, Aarti Rai, 29 and Pooja Rai, 34. Meenadevi is mother, Aarti is her daughter and Pooja is the daughter-in-law.

The trio had first come under the police radar in August when they were caught in a joint operation by Samta Nagar police and the crime branch. However, due to legal restrictions preventing the arrest of women after sunset, they were released with summons to appear at the police station the following morning. Unfortunately, the accused absconded.

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Subsequent investigations revealed that the three women hailed from Bihar and were residents of Poisar, Kandivali East. The initial arrest in August occurred during a night patrolling operation prompted by a tip-off suggesting the involvement of women in drug sales. In a coordinated effort between the crime branch and Samta Nagar police, the police arrested four women, seizing 35 grams of mephedrone from Meenadevi, Aarti and Pooja Rai. Meenadevi's younger daughter Mala, 24, was also present with her family at the time of drug seizure by the police.

Though all the three accused absconded, Mala approached the court and obtained anticipatory bail as no drugs were found in her possession.

"An FIR was lodged under various sections of the NDPS Act at Samta Nagar police station on August 3, 2023. It was suspected that the trio initially fled to Bihar but later changed locations to avoid tracking. Police sub-inspector Amol Tanpure, the investigation officer, received a tip-off about their current whereabouts, leading to their arrest in a guest house in Vapi, Gujarat, on Tuesday.

They were subsequently produced before the court on Wednesday which remanded them to police custody, said a police officer from Samta Nagar police station.

Further scrutiny of the family's history revealed a prior criminal record, including another drug peddling case and assault, with FIRs registered at Samta Nagar police station in 2021. "After obtaining police custody, we are diligently working to trace the source from where the Rai family used to procure drugs," he said.

35 gms
Quantity of mephedrone seized by police