Thane police seize charas worth Rs 80 lakh, arrest 43-year-old peddler

Representational Picture/iStock

A 43-year-old man has been apprehended by the Thane police in Maharashtra with charas valued at approximately Rs 80 lakh. The arrest took place on Wednesday evening in the Majiwada area of Thane city, as the Crime Unit V of Wagle Estate division acted on inputs, newswire PTI reported.

The suspect, identified as Abhay Parshuram Pagdhare, hailing from Dahanu in the neighboring Palghar district, was caught in the act of attempting to sell the illicit substance to an individual from Mumbai. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shivraj Patil revealed that Pagdhare was found in possession of 8.8 kg of charas, with an estimated street value of Rs 80.82 lakh, the PTI report said.

The Kapurbawdi police registered a case against Pagdhare under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Last month, in the meanwhile, Mumbai police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) seized charas worth Rs 1.04 crore and arrested three persons including a resident of Jammu and Kashmir.

The accused were part of an inter-state drug trafficking racket, newswire PTI reported quoting the official.

Also read: Maharashtra: Thane Police book man for molesting 12-year-old daughter

The Bandra unit of the ANC, in a special operation, apprehended two persons in Byculla area and seized 1.8 kg of high-quality Kashmiri charas, the crime branch official said.

Their interrogation led to the arrest another man, from whose possession another 800 grams of Kashmiri charas was seized, the PTI report said.

Also read: Thane gangrape case: Three accused acquitted for "lack of evidence"

The accused who hails from Kashmir had brought the drug to Mumbai by concealing it in walnut bags, the official said.

Another accused has two cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act registered against him. As much as 55 kg of charas had been seized from his possession in Worli area in the past, the official said.

In another operation, the Azad Maidan unit of the ANC seized 120 grams of mephedrone worth Rs 24 lakh and arrested three person, he said, adding that Rs 22 lakh in cash was also recovered from them. (With inputs from PTI)