Mumbai Police seize drugs valued at over Rs 20 crore, arrests two
Mumbai Police seize drugs valued at over Rs 20 crore, arrests two Mumbai, Nov 12 (IANS) In a major operation, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of Mumbai’s Bangur Nagar Police Station has seized 4,226.97 grams of cocaine valued at more than Rs 20 crore and arrested two individuals in connection with the case, officials said on Thursday. The market price of the seized cocaine is valued at around Rs 21.13 crore.
According to police, on the night of November 2, at around 8 p.m., ATS officers from Bangur Nagar Police Station were patrolling the Link Road area in Goregaon West when they noticed a man behaving suspiciously near Shivam Cooperative Society. Following this, the officers detained and searched the individual. The accused was identified as Phoolchandra Ishwardayal Kashyap, 31, a native of Uttar Pradesh who was residing in Madh Village, Malad West area of Mumbai.
During the search, police recovered 5.97 grams of cocaine from his possession, valued at approximately Rs 2.98 lakh. Subsequently, the ATS officers conducted a search of the accused’s residence. At around 3 a.m. on November 3, they recovered another 672 grams of cocaine from his house in Madh Village, estimated to be valued at Rs 3.36 crore. Following the recovery, a case was registered at Bangur Nagar Police Station under Sections 8(c) and 21(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
During his interrogation, Kashyap revealed that he was in the drug trade along with his associate Mujahid Ali, a resident of Madhya Pradesh. Based on this information, police also arrested Ali. The investigation so far has led to the seizure of a total of 4,226.97 grams of cocaine, with an estimated international market value of more than Rs 21.13 crore. Police are now investigating the source of the cocaine, the intended recipients of the consignment, and the wider drug network involved in the operation.
Investigators are also probing whether any other individuals assisted the accused in running the narcotics racket. Earlier in November, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit, busted an international drug smuggling racket involving the concealment of hashish in an international courier shipment originating from New York and destined for Mumbai, officials said.
