Mumbai Police traces elusive drug dealer from Dongri in Ahmedabad via Instagram post

The love of cricket proved to be the undoing of drug dealer Moinuddin Khan, 25, who had been dodging the Anti-Narcotic Cell (ANC) and Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for two years. At least 15 special operations had been launched to capture the Dongri resident but the cat-and-mouse game ended last week after an Instagram post by an unknown individual revealed that he was playing cricket at a turf in Ahmedabad. An ANC team swiftly reached the location and, after an extensive search, successfully nabbed him. Khan was a fugitive in a mephedrone case valued at Rs 5 crore that was filed by the ANC in 2022.

He was linked to a 2021 case involving underworld don Karim Lala's grandson, Parvez alias Chinku Pathan. In this case, NCB also arrested Arif Bhujwala, a key associate of Pathan, who was operating a drug factory in Dongri merely a few hundred metres away from the local police station. During the raids, NCB seized a substantial amount of drugs and cash. Bhujwala attempted to escape by jumping from a window but was later apprehended by the NCB.

Moinuddin Khan

Sources within the ANC have revealed that Khan was a close associate of Bhujwala, responsible for managing his day-to-day activities. Additionally, Khan's name was linked to the Rs 5 crore mephedrone case registered by the Azad Maidan ANC in 2021. "He is notorious for evading capture. Despite launching at least 15 special operations to apprehend him, he managed to escape each time. Sometimes, he didn't even come on our radar," stated an officer of the Azad Maidan ANC.

Close encounter

According to the ANC, they received multiple tips about Khan's whereabouts while he was on the run. Once, he was reportedly spotted at a wedding in Dongri, prompting the formation of a special team. However, he was tipped off and managed to escape before the team arrived.

On another occasion, there was intel suggesting he was at his Agripada home, but upon reaching there, he couldn't be found. Khan later confessed to the ANC that he had been hiding under his bed that day, and the crime branch officials failed to check. The ANC team also pursued leads to Lonavala, where Khan was allegedly touring with associates, but he escaped from there as well. Similar incidents occurred in Mira Road, but the authorities failed to apprehend him. On January 25, officials working on Khan's case received a tip-off that a similarly wanted individual was in Ajmer.

While investigating, they came across an Instagram status from an unknown individual, who posted pictures of Khan and some friends from Ajmer on his Instagram story. Tracking the account, a team headed for Ajmer. However, en route, they noticed another status on the same account indicating that Khan had moved to Gujarat and was spotted playing cricket on a turf.

The officials diverted to Ahmedabad and began searching for turfs based on the status. After checking several locations, they identified the exact turf with the help of the local police. Upon reaching the location, they discovered Khan was staying in a guest house. "The team then surprised him and successfully brought him back to Mumbai," stated an officer involved in the operation.

"The ANC maintains close surveillance on numerous wanted suspects involved in narcotics cases as we uphold a zero-tolerance policy towards drug supply in the city. Recently, we have successfully apprehended several wanted suspects," stated Prakash Jadhav, DCP of the ANC.

Jan 25
Day officials received tip-off