Mumbai: Pydhonie-based drug trafficker arrested by NCB

Accused Rindani Mohammad Shabbir Ismail alias Raju

A South Mumbai-based physically challenged drug trafficker has been using his disability to dodge the locals cops for a very long time, but during a recent raid at his Pydhonie house, the Mumbai zonal unit of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) managed to arrest him. The accused has been identified as Rindani Mohammad Shabbir Ismail alias Raju.

A senior NCB officer confirmed the development and told mid-day that Raju was a ‘terror' in the locality where he resided. "A number of complaints were filed against Raju at the local police station but no action had been taken against him. He would sit on his wheelchair on the ground floor of the building where he resided and alert his family members and accomplices, who would be upstairs, through phone calls when the local cops came to take action against him."

"Whenever customers walked in, Raju would take the money from them and ask his men to throw the drug packets from upstairs. His business was inconveniencing locals, who feared that their children might get addicted to drugs. He dealt in marijuana and MD, and would sell them openly," the officer added.

Zonal director of NCB, Sameer Wankhede told mid-day, "We received an input that a physically challenged man has been selling drugs in Gogari Mohalla of Pydhonie. Our team reached the spot and searched two rooms of Bismillah House. They found Raju sitting in his wheelchair on the ground floor. They recovered 1.1kg marijuana during the search operation and arrested Raju. He is a history-sheeter and a notorious drug trafficker."

Police sources have told mid-day that Raju is a close aide of drug trafficker Ayaaz Yakub Mandviwala alias Khatri alias Ayaz Charsi, who was arrested with 150 gms MD worth R15 lakh by the NCB last month.

A resident of Pydhonie said, "We had met senior police officers and requested them to take action against Raju but whenever the cops reached his house to carry out a raid, no drugs would be found in his possession. So, we thought of informing the NCB, as they have been working to eradicate the drug menace in the city."

"Chances of our children getting addicted to drugs were high. We had asked Raju to stop selling drugs but he and his accomplices would threaten us of dire consequences. We had alerted the local police about it but nothing was done. The NCB resolved the issue quite fast," said another resident.