Malwani Police bust drug smuggling gang using steel water bottle for concealment

Malwani Police have uncovered a drug smuggling operation in which the accused concealed narcotics by modifying the base of steel water bottlesAccording to police sources acting under the guidance of DCP Anand Bhoite Zone 11 and Senior Police Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar of Malwani Police Station API Nilesh Salunkhe and his team apprehended two suspects from Mira Road last night During the operation various drugs worth approximately 10 lakh were seizedA police official revealed that the smuggled narcotics were hidden inside steel water bottles commonly used for storing hot and cold water At first glance the bottles appeared completely normal raising no suspicion the officer saidThe arrested suspects both 19yearold students and residents of Mira Road have been identified asVinit Sunil Singh 19Shiven Parkar 19The police team nabbed the duo from Swarnadeep Society Building Old Golden Nest Mira RoadDetails of seized drugs47 grams of MDMA Ecstasy tablets 10 pieces ndash Rs 50000739 grams of Ganja ndash Rs 36950045 LSD paper strips ndash Rs 22500062 LSD dot papers ndash Rs 310000The accused have been booked and arrested under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS ActThe investigation is ongoing to determine the extent of the network and identify other individuals involvedMumbai Four suspended cops booked in drugs planting caseAn FIR was finally registered on Thursday by the Vakola police after 112 days against the four personnel of the Khar police station who were suspended for planting drugs on a man The incident took place on August 30 inKalinamidday had reported on viral CCTV footage that where the officers could be seen planting drugs on the man identified as Dylan Estibeiro 30 He was later taken to a police chowkie where the officers allegedly pressured him to falsely name his friend Shahbaz Khan who was not present at the time of the incident in the case Even as the Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter it was consistent followups by the complainant that compelled theVakola policeto book the copsThe four suspended officers named in the FIR are PSI Vishwanath Omble and Constables Imran Shaikh Sagar Kamble and Shinde alias Dabang Shinde The case is based on the statement of Estibeiro who alleged that on August 30 at around 5 pm cops in plainclothes entered a farm in KalinaKurla that he manages for his friendmdashKhan The farm spans two acresAccording to the FIR the officers began frisking him and repeatedly asked about Khanrsquos whereabouts During the frisking an officer allegedly placed something in Estibeirorsquos back pocket and later pulled out a packet of white powder claiming it was MD mephedrone a synthetic drugThe officers then questioned Estibeiro about where he purchased the drug from and demanded he reveal Khanrsquos location Estibeiro informed them that Khan was at home The FIR further states that Estibeiro was forcibly taken to a police chowkie inKhar Danda where his phone was confiscated and he was beaten He claimed that the officers pressured him to falsely implicate Khan At around 9 pm Estibeiro was releasedUpon his return he discovered that the farm where the incident took place was equipped with CCTV cameras which had recorded the incident The footage went viral shortly after Meanwhile Khan claimed the drugplanting scene was orchestrated by thepolice personnelin collusion with local politicians who are attempting to forcefully grab his twoacre land valued at R400 croreldquoThey have been looking for an opportunity to frame me and when I was not at the farm on August 30 they targeted my friend and planted drugs on himrdquo Khan told midday He added ldquoDespite providing strong evidence we had to run from pillar to post to get the FIR registered Now they have been forced to register the caserdquoA police officer said the suspended cops have been booked under Sections 198 public servant disobeying law with intent to cause injury 199 public servant disobeying direction under law 1372 kidnapping 1271 wrongful confinement 1152 voluntarily causing hurt 1181 voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous means and 35 common intention of the BNSldquoThe FIR is an eyewash Even 112 days later the police have failed to add sections of the NDPS Act despite the officers being caught planting drugs on my client Crucial sections like criminal conspiracy and house trespassing are also missing from the FIR We will continue to fightrdquo said Akshay Bhole the lawyer representing Khan