Drugs worth over Rs 19 lakh seized in Thane; woman among 4 held

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Police have arrested three men and a woman after seizing drugs worth over Rs 19 lakh from their possession in two separate cases in Maharashtra’s Thane district, officials said on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the house of one Kamal Ansari in Bhiwandi town on Friday and seized 75 kg of ganja concealed there, senior police inspector, crime unit II, Bhiwandi, Sachin Gaikwad said.

The contraband was worth Rs 14.92 lakh, he said, adding that the police also seized Rs 1.37 lakh in cash and a couple of mobile phones.

Ansari was arrested and a case was registered against him under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the official said.

The accused was produced before a local magistrate who remanded him in police custody till December 22, he said.

The police were trying to find out if more persons were involved in the racket of smuggling ganja into the town and its sale, he added.

In another case, the police’s anti-narcotics cell nabbed three persons on Friday in Shil-Daighar area and seized from them 17 gm of mephedrone (MD) powder and 170 gm of ketamine, collectively valued at Rs 4,65,300, senior police inspector Vijay Powar said.

The accused were identified as Sajid Ali Maniar, Niyaz Khan and Shagufta Shaikh, he said.

A case was registered against them also under the NDPS Act, and a local court remanded them in police custody till December 23, the police said.

The police were trying to ascertain from where the accused in both the cases got the drugs and to whom they were planning to sell them, officials said.