Investigators suspect the heroin worth Rs. 600 crore that was being carried in a boat intercepted by the Navy and the Coast Guard off Porbandar on April 18 could be linked to the Mumbai underworld.
On Monday, the Ballard Pier Court sent the eight alleged Pakistani nationals on board the boat to police custody till May 5.
“We are probing the matter from all possible angles since it concerns national and State security. Because the catch is huge and could have had implications on Mumbai also, we will look into if it was linked to the Mumbai underworld,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Atul Kulkarni in response to a question on Monday.
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Besides the Port Zone police whose Yellow Gate police station has the maritime jurisdiction over all incidents taking place in international waters off the West Coast, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch is also questioning the eight.
Among those arrested — identified as Ali Baksh Alkesh Khashkeli, Maqsood Akhtar Yusuf Mausim, Mohammad Baksh Natho, Mohammad Ahmed Inayat, Mohammad Yunus Haji Mohammad Sumar, Mohammad Gul Hasan Maula Baksh and Gul Hasan Mohammad Siddiqi — five are from Sindh, three from Pakistan’s Punjab province and one a Baloch, said sources. They have all claimed to be fishermen.
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Seeking their custody, the police told the court that the interrogation of the accused was necessary to unearth the whole chain of drug supply and to find out more about their handlers operating from across the border.
The court was also informed about the seizure of satellite phones from the accused and that the police would now ascertain who all were those on board in contact with.
Any accomplices?Mumbai Police officers added that the boat was to hand over the consignment to those travelling in another smaller boat and they had to find out how it would be routed on sea and on land thereafter.
“This includes establishing in the whereabouts of accomplices, if any, on our side of the border,” said another police officer.
Furthermore, the accused would also be quizzed about the owners of the intercepted boat which did not bear a name or flag, a violation, according to the police.
The accused have been booked under sections of the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Act and would be produced before an NDPS court when their custody gets over.