Thane: Man from Gujarat held with drugs worth Rs 4.55 lakh

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Police have arrested a 38-year-old man and seized drugs worth Rs 4.55 lakh from his possession in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official told news agency PTI on Thursday.

Officials of the crime unit apprehended Aslam Abdulkadir Sama, hailing from Bhuj in Gujarat, at Ranjnoli naka in Bhiwandi area in Thane on Wednesday, the official from Kongaon police station told PTI.

The police seized 65.78 gm of mephedrone, a banned synthetic stimulant, worth Rs 4.55 lakh from his possession, he said.

The accused was booked under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the official told PTI.

The man was questioned, but the source of the contraband and to whom he wanted to sell it was yet to be ascertained, he said.

Meanwhile, with the arrest of two notorious criminals, the police in Maharashtra's Thane on Wednesday claimed to have cracked 18 cases of house break-ins in the city and the adjoining region.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, senior inspector Suresh Madne of Manpada police station said valuables worth Rs 20.15 lakh, including 200 grams of gold ornaments, cash, motorcycles and laptops, were also recovered from the accused, reported PTI.

In the wake of several cases of burglaries and house break-ins in the limits of Manpada police station in Kalyan division, the police launched a probe and worked on several leads, including the CCTV footage, before arresting the accused, he said.

The duo is identified as Yusuf Rashid Shaikh (38) and Naushad Mustaq Alam (28), the official said.

"Both of them are history-sheeters and notorious criminals. While Yusuf was arrested in 23 crimes earlier, there are 11 offences registered against Naushad in Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai," Madne told PTI.

During their interrogation, it came to light that they were involved in 18 cases of burglaries in Manpada, Daighar, Rabale, Kamothe, Panvel, Taloja, Chunabhatti and other areas, he said, adding that further investigation is on.

In another incident, a man was allegedly kidnapped and beaten to death on the suspicion of theft by four persons in Navi Mumbai, following which the police have arrested three of the accused, an official told PTI on Wednesday.

The incident took place between 9.30 am and 2.30 pm on Tuesday, in which the accused also attacked the deceased man's friend, injuring him seriously, he said.

The accused trio was arrested late Tuesday night, the official of Kharghar police station told PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)