Nashik arms haul: Mastermind was high on 50 bottles of cough syrup when caught

Stealing the largest haul of weapons the state has seen in a decade was just step one of mastermind Pasha's grand plans to rule over Mumbai. Despite his ambitions of reaching the heights of the crime world, getting 'high' became his downfall.

Badshah

mid-day had reported last week how the Nashik police had busted the biggest arms robbery since 2006, seizing 45 guns and 4,166 live cartridges from a vehicle on the Agra-Mumbai highway. They arrested three smugglers with the arms, including prime accused Bazzu Badshah alias Suka alias Pasha, 27.

Pasha had already recruited 10-15 members for his gang, but he needed huge funds to keep his men happy and loyal. That's when he decided to steal the weapons. The next step of his masterplan was to use the weapons to loot a diamond shop in Surat, and then use the riches to build his own gang. The Nashik police have arrested four of his henchmen so far, while the Mumbai crime branch arrested another five. Pasha had been arrested thrice for possession of arms in the past.

Addiction
Sources from the police said Pasha was addicted to cough syrup and sleeping pills. A day before the arms heist, he got high on a cocktail of these drugs, along with liquor and hookah. He also carried the drugs with him; he drank 50 bottles of cough syrup, while cops recovered another 100 from him.

"During the arms robbery, when the watchman tried to stop them, Pasha lashed out and hit him repeatedly an intoxicated stupor," said sources. "Pasha consumed even more drugs before they stopped at a petrol pump at Wake node in Malegaon district. When a staffer asked them to pay for fuel, Pasha was enraged that someone had dared to ask money from the future king. He flashed a gun at the staffer, who then called the police," the sources added.

According to the cops, three of Pasha's relatives married into families in Pakistan, and live there as well. He is not in touch with them. Pasha had visited Pakistan two to three times, while his father, Akbar Pasha alias Badshah had also visited more than five times.

Like father, like son
Pasha's father, Akbar Pasha alias Badshah (in pic), also had a long history of crime. He was first arrested in 1995. Like his son, Akbar too was arrested thrice under the Arms Act, including in 2012 for an arms smuggling operation with his son. Both father and son have deep ties with Pakistan. Cops are probing if there is a terror angle to the arms haul.

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