Mumbai Crime: NCB finds charas in water purifier; franchise owner of top courier firm arrested

Drugs were found in a household item

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested the owner of a Dahisar-based DTDC franchise after his role surfaced in the attempted smuggling of nearly 5 kg of charas, concealed in a water purifier, to Australia. It has been found to be one of the biggest international rackets where hawala money was being used to deliver drugs from one country to another, said officers. The agency has also unearthed the role of a Canada-based NRI as the kingpin of the racket.

The agency seized the consignment of 4.880 kg of charas worth Rs 50 lakh on June 10, and raided the premises of DTDC franchise in Dahisar on Saturday. The package was being sent with the fake identity of the consignor [sender].

The NCB said that as per the probe, it is one of the biggest international rackets where hawala money has been used to deliver drugs from one country to another. The role of a Canada-based NRI has surfaced, as the kingpin of the racket. The agency did not reveal the person's identity.

Also read: Ugandan woman hides cocaine, heroin capsules inside her body; held at Mumbai airport

In nut bolts in another incident

"A team of NCB Mumbai seized 4.880 kg of charas in Mumbai on June 10. The seized drugs concealed in a special cavity made inside a water purifier. The parcel was destined to Australia," said NCB Zonal Director Amit Ghawate.

The officers then started tracking the consignor and apprehended him, then got the link of the DTDC franchise owner, identified as Shrikant Pingale and the courier agent apprehended by the agency was identified as Pawan Yadav.

"During the preliminary interrogation, it was found that the courier franchise owner is also involved in drug trafficking. The courier agent sent the parcel without verification of the identity of the consignee [receiver]. He has sent parcels many times before, on the instructions of the main receiver," Ghawate said.

The court has remanded the accused to the NCB's custody.

NCB found 490 grams of Methamphetamine in the volt meter. Pic/Faizan Khan

During the course of interrogation and the evidence collected, the agency got the link of one of the biggest drug networks that has been sending consignments using different modus operandi to Canada, Australia, the US, New Zealand and other countries.

The officers have found that the Canada-based NRI used to visit India to make payments and the amount received through drugs was transferred using hawala. "Fake identity was used by the consignor to ship the parcel through courier. This network has sent many such types of parcels in the past. The kingpin had created layers in the delivery network," Ghawate said.

The officers have found that Pingale has been involved in sending consignment by masking it as a normal courier since 2017, and he used to receive anywhere between Rs 75,000 and R1 lakh for one courier.

"Nowadays, drugs from India are being sent to other countries mainly using courier companies. The role of courier companies has surfaced in a very few cases and in this case, the accused seemed to be involved in the international racket," an officer said.

The officers found out that Pingale has used DHL international courier services for the countries where he can't deliver the consignment. The NCB will now verify the role of the DHL courier franchise as well.

In two more operations, the NCB has arrested one person from Navi Mumbai and seized 490 grams of Methamphetamine destined to New Zealand from Andheri. The drug was concealed very carefully in the volt meter.

Another parcel destined to Australia was also tracked by the agency, wherein 435 grams of Amphetamine was concealed in industrial nut bolts.

"During the preliminary investigation, one person from Navi Mumbai has been apprehended in this connection. He accepted that he was the consignor for both the parcels," said Ghawate.

4.880 kg
Quantity of charas that was seized on June 10