Mumbai: Two people were arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch after they were allegedly caught with hashish worth over ₹7 lakh. Investigations have revealed that the accused would smuggle the hashish from Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to Mumbai by hiding it in boxes of apples.
ANC officers said the accused were arrested by their Ghatkopar unit based on a tip-off. They said one of the accused, Nissar Ahmed Bhat, 33, had come from Baramulla district in J&K to deliver a consignment of hashish to his associate, identified as Illias Shaikh, 38, in Kurla. They were arrested when they met near Sky Height building close to BEST bus stop in Nehru Nagar, Kurla.
Bhat was found to be in possession of 900 grams of hashish, while another 900 grams were recovered from Shaikh, who is a resident of Mumbra and sells fruits for a living. While being questioned, the arrested duo allegedly revealed that the drugs would be placed in boxes of apples sent from J&K and H.P. for sale in Mumbai. The total value of the seized drugs is ₹7.2 lakh, police said.
Senior PI Dilip Sawant, Ghatkopar unit, ANC, said, “This is a big catch. We have arrested the accused and charged them under sections 8(C) and 20 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.”