Mumbai: Duo with MDMA worth Rs 4.5 cr nabbed

Representation Pic

The Special Intelligence and Investigation Branch (SIIB) of the customs had apprehended two men found in possession of MDMA (ecstasy) drugs with a market value Rs 4.5 crore. According to police, the accused Salman Khan allegedly worked as a broker and provided rented flats to Nigerians who were involved in a drug syndicate in Nallasopara.

The matter had come to light on April 8, when the customs officials received a tip-off, "We received information that a narcotic substance would arrive in a parcel from Belgium. We seized the parcel and found 2,314 grams of MDMA in it. The parcel was supposed to be picked up by Salman Khan," said an officer. As the officials intended to nab the recipient of the contraband, they replaced the original parcel with a decoy and waited for the recipient to arrive.

"No one came to collect the parcel till April 14. Finally, on April 15, a man turned up to collect the parcel. He identified himself as Salman Khan and made a payment of Rs 12,000 to collect the parcel. We apprehended him immediately," said an officer. During Khan's questioning customs officials found that he was not acting alone in this drug racket. Khan had confessed that he was only there to pick up the parcel and then hand it over to a Nigerian national," said an officer.

Based on his inputs the police arrested Osita Chibueze from Palghar on April 16. "Khan had allegedly provided a rented flat to Chibueze in Nallasopara. Chibueze came to India as a tourist and was now residing illegally in India. He was previously involved in a similar crime and was in the jail for about 10 months," said the officer. Salman Khan, 43 and Osita Chibueze had been booked by the police under the relevant sections of the NDPS Act and were produced before the court which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days.