08 March,2017 11:05 AM IST | | Suraj Ojha
In a major crackdown, sleuths of the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) and Anti-Narcotic Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch nabbed five drug peddlers in separate incidents, from different areas of the city
Following interrogations, driver Khurshid Ahmed revealed that the drug was concealed in a cavity just above the driver's seat
In a major crackdown, sleuths of the Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) and Anti-Narcotic Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch nabbed five drug peddlers in separate incidents, from different areas of the city.
In the first case, NCB officials intercepted a truck bearing a Jammu and Kashmir registration number near the Mumbra toll naka and recovered 50 kg of hash worth Rs 2 crore. The driver Khurshid Ahmed was arrested along with two peddlers Peter Fernandez and Mohammad Asif, who had come to the area to receive the consignment.
Mohammad Asif
Acting on specific information that the truck would reach Pune via Nashik, before heading to Mumbai, the officials reached the spot on Sunday night and kept a close watch on the vehicle's movements. The truck left Pune on Monday evening and reached Mumbai the following morning. After the vehicle stopped at Mumbra, the officials spotted two men approaching the driver. Thereafter, they nabbed all three of them.
On searching the truck, at first the officials did not find anything. But when they interrogated the accused, they revealed that 50 kg of hash was concealed in a cavity just above the driver's seat.
Saqlain Qureshi was nabbed with 281 bottles of Corex cough syrup
Speaking to mid-day, NCB zonal director Kumar Sanjay Zha said, "These people have been supplying hash to drug dealers in Mumbai for past several years. There are a total of six gangs operating in J&K, of which one was busted earlier. This was the second one."
He further said, "People from Kashmiri security agencies must be helping the drug dealers to carry out the business on a large scale."
Kamran Javed Shaikh was arrested with 68 grams of MD
Drugs in plenty
In the second case, NCB officials arrested a man identified as Saqlain Qureshi from Dongri and seized 281 bottles of Corex cough syrup, 10 grams of Mephedrone and Rs 5.4 lakh in cash from him.
MD seized
In the third case, ANC arrested a 29-year-old man identified as Kamran Javed Shaikh from Wadi Bandar Bridge in Dongri and seized 68 grams of MD worth Rs 1.34 lakh and a bike worth Rs 40,000 from him.
When contacted, deputy commissioner of police of ANC Shivdeep Lande said, "We have arrested the accused under section 8(c) r/w 22 (c) of NDPS Act. He is a known history-sheeter and has a total of five cases registered against him."
