Navi Mumbai: Chasing ‘purse chor’ cops find Nigerian with cocaine

Alisha Kem, a Nigerian, after her arrest by the Nhava Sheva police

A woman's search for her purse which she left behind in an auto rickshaw led to the arrest of a Nigerian woman involved in drug distribution at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai. The police have seized cocaine and mephedrone from the woman who tried to flee at the sight of police.

Moments after alighting from an auto rickshaw on Saturday night, the 40-year-old woman realised that she had left behind her purse in the vehicle. As she booked the ride on Uber, she immediately contacted the auto driver and enquired about the purse. The auto driver replied that he had just picked up a passenger, an African national, and would return to the spot where he had dropped her. When the auto driver returned, the woman who lost her purse enquired with the African national. The passenger reacted rudely, alighted from the auto and began walking away.

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Sensing something was wrong, the woman chased her, hoping to retrieve her purse. In response, the African national pushed her and started running. The woman screamed for help, attracting the attention of a few other women nearby, who surrounded the suspect. She then entered a shop. Locals quickly alerted the police. At the sight of the police, the suspect attempted to run towards the washroom, in a bid to flush the contraband she was carrying with her.

"We became suspicious and found that she had concealed the contraband in capsules. Upon further examination, 18 capsules were recovered, each containing cocaine," said Anjum Bagwan, senior police inspector. The police arrested the woman and found that her name is Alisha Kem, 25. Besides the cocaine, the woman was also found in possession of mephedrone. The police suspect she is part of a large syndicate in Navi Mumbai involved in drug distribution within the city. "We have taken her into custody and are conducting investigations to uncover the drug network," said an officer.

However, the woman whose search for her purse led to the arrest of the Nigerian woman didn't find her purse. The police suspect that the Nigerian woman may have taken out the money and discarded the purse.