Narcotics Control Bureau's own staffer 'deals' with drug peddler

The woman, who was a receptionist with the Narcotics Control Bureau, was arrested for being involved in drug dealing while the peddler was held for possession of mephedrone, part of which he hid in her house

NCB officials suspected that the staffer was meeting Gulam Azad, and had transferred her. Pravinta Wasnik after her arrest. Pic/Datta Kumbhar

The Narcotics Control Bureau officials have arrested one of their staffers — a receptionist — and a drug peddler, with whom she worked. The staffer has been identified as Pravinta Wasnik, and the drug peddler, an Iranian, was identified as Gulam Azad.

Gulam Azad

Based on a tip-off that Gulam was in Mumbai with 919 grams of the mephedrone drug, the NCB laid a trap and arrested him from Wadala. After a search, NCB officials found 196 grams from his person, and 495 gms that he had concealed in his Honda Activa. After officials asked him where he kept more drugs, he gave an address.

The officials were shocked because the address turned out to be one of their own woman staffers. Officials searched the place and found 228 gms of the drug, and they arrested her from the house at Antop Hill, CGS colony.

Sanjay Jha, NCB zonal director told mid-day, “We have arrested both under the NDPS Act and are investigating the matter.”

Wasnik work as a sepoy in NCB. She joined the Mumbai zonal unit in 2013 and hails from Ajani, Nagpur. She was recently transferred to Ranchi sub-division of NCB. She worked for three-and-a-half years in NCB, Mumbai.

Doubts about staffer
Sources from NCB said, “We have an internal surveillance system to keep an eye on every NCB staffer and had doubts about Wasnik. We felt she was meeting Gulam, after which she got transferred to Ranchi.”

Wasnik was given responsibility of the NCB reception, where most accused who are on bail would come for attendance, and here she may have got in touch with Gulam.

Last month, she came to Mumbai from Ranchi without permission from officers. NCB doubts that she may have used her NCB identity card, in case they were crossing a nakabandi, so they could save the drug.

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