Mumbai cops beef up to take on Nigerian drug peddlers

Illustration/Uday Mohite

When it comes to Mumbai Police, size matters. The last time they took on the Nigerian drug racket in south Mumbai, the cops took a beating as they had just not anticipated how strong and athletic the accused were. Not to be outdone, now the cops have beefed up as well, to ensure that the drug dealers can no longer give them the slip.

The Anti Drug Peddling Squad is led by Senior PI Nitin Bagale (centre) and PI Ankush Katkar (to his right). Pic/Suresh Karkera

For years, the drug racket has been flourishing at Wadi Bunder, with dealers openly selling drugs to youngsters on the bridge. Then, in April, the Crime Branch tried to take down the drug ring in one of its biggest operations of the year - codenamed Operation Sabak. Instead, it ended up being a bitter lesson for the cops, who were simply not prepared for the vociferous way in which the Nigerians ringleaders fought back. They were also taken aback when the accused smoothly jumped 20 feet off the bridge and then continued to run on the railway tracks. Seven cops got badly injured by the time they managed to catch two of the accused, while 20 others escaped.

Also Read: Nigerian drug peddler nabbed with Rs 4-lakh cocaine, LSD

The Wadi Bunder bridge is a hotspot for drug deals, and the cops will now patrol the area all day long

An officer from the Anti Narcotics Cell said, "the accused have plenty of places to hide when the cops arrive at the spot. They turn violent and there have been cases where they have thrown stones at police officers and even bitten and attacked cops in an attempt to resist arrest."

Heavy hitters
But the Dongri police learnt from the Crime Branch's experience and, months after the debacle, the cops have now decided to respond with a show of strength, literally. A special ‘Anti Drug Peddling Squad' has been formed with well-built and combat-trained officers who are capable of taking down the drug peddlers in the city. Seven policemen have been selected in two teams, which now patrol the drug hotspot during day and night.

Senior Police Inspector Nitin Bangale told mid-day, "The drug consumption was highest among the youth. We will try our best to clean out the drugs from the area; our special teams are working on it."

The trigger
It was after the recent murder of a Nigerian drug peddler at Sandhurst Road railway yard that the police decided it was time to take action. The deceased, Samson Chivistian Chidkave (27), was stabbed by three men over a drug-related row. The task units were formed just last week, but have already started showing results. On September 22, they arrested a Nigerian drug dealer identified as John Ojhi Laurence (29), along with his associates - Abdul Shaikh (27), Ashikul Mulla (28) and Noormuhammad Shaikh (36). The team recovered 100 grams of mephedrone (aka MD or Meow Meow) amounting to Rs 3 lakh and also seized a Maruti Omni van and four cell phones used by the gang for their operation.

Setting the trap
The Anti Drug Peddling Squad had got a tip-off that a deal was going to take place around 2 am on September 22. The team split into groups of two to three officers each and laid in wait for the accused at Wadi Bunder bridge. "We saw a grey Maruti car arriving at 2:10 am and suspected it to be the one we had received information about. As the car stopped near the BMC washroom on SVP road, our officers surrounded the vehicle and asked all those present to get down. The Nigerian national was detained first, to ensure that he did not get a chance to resist and flee. As suspected, he was carrying the drugs. The arrest of other three followed," said one of the officers.

Read Story: 10 cops take 20 mins to subdue Nigerian with coke

Team work
Two teams led by Senior PI Nitin Bangale of Dongri police and Inspector (Crime) Ankush Katkar There are seven team members on the field - an inspector-rank officer, two assistant police inspectors and four constables. Each team member has a role to play, from activating local informers and gathering information, to patrolling and planning traps and arresting the accused and seizing drugs.