Navi Mumbai: Two people were arrested for possessing narcotic substance methaqualone worth ₹23.1 lakh with the alleged intention to sell, in Juinagar on Friday. Police said one of the accused is a minor, aged 17, while his accomplice has been identified as Nadim Shafik Salmani (20), both originally from Uttar Pradesh.
The arrests were made during an operation based on specific intelligence when the accused were near the Juinagar railway station service road, API Manish Kolhatkar, Nerul police station, said. Methaqualone weighing 768 grams was seized from them. “The drug costs ₹5,000 per gram in the international market. The duo were promised ₹50,000 each to sell it, and incentives if they could sell it for more than ₹10 lakh."
Both accused belong to farming families, and had agreed to sell the drug due to financial problems, police said. Mr. Salmani is a barber and the minor accused is studying in Class X. During questioning, the accused claimed they were given the methaqualone by a man in U.P. to sell in Navi Mumbai.
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Mr. Kolhatkar said, “They were just carriers; the racket originates in U.P. We are investigating the supply chain." The accused were arrested under sections 8(C), 22 and 29 of the NDPS Act. They were produced in court, which sent the minor to a remand home and remanded Mr. Salmani in police custody.