Rs 1.48 crore of MepheDrone seized, 2 held

Mumbai: In a drug bust, unit nine of the Mumbai crime branch arrested two narcotics suppliers and seized 9.9kg of mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 1.48 crore from them Saturday. The arrests were made after officials learned of a potential deal likely to be struck in the slums of Nargis Dutt Nagar at Bandra Reclamation.

After assistant inspector of police Irfan Shaikh received a tip-off, a team headed by senior inspector Mahesh Desai laid a trap at the slums and apprehended the first accused in the case identified as Noor-ul-Hudda (60). Officials said that upon frisking him, they found 1.05 kg MD in his possession.

“We booked him in a narcotics case with the Bandra police and during interrogation, found further links in the case. A team raided his residence and found 6.9 kg more MD stashed there,” said Nisar Tamboli, deputy commissioner of police (detection one).

The investigation led crime branch officials to the kingpin Salim Khan (45), who had been supplying MD to local peddlers for at least the past five years. The majority of peddlers were spread over the western suburbs. The contraband would be brought to Mumbai via Palghar by road. “Khan is the main man in the case and he had been using his wife to deliver the contraband to local peddlers. However, she passed away six months ago,” said an officer of the crime branch.