Mumbai Crime Branch arrests drug peddler; firearm recovered in Goregaon raid

The Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 11 has arrested a 27yearold man in possession of narcotics worth Rs 45 lakh During a search of his residence officers also recovered a pistol and two live cartridges raising serious security concernsActing on a tipoff and under the guidance of senior officers the Crime Branch Unit XI team raided a flat in Amy Complex located in the Ram Mandir area of Goregaon West on Wednesday The accused identified as Uzair Niaz Khan 27 was taken into custodyDuring the search police seized approximately 23 grams of MD Mephedrone valued at 45 lakh along with an electronic weighing machine allegedly used for measuring and packaging the drugs for saleWhile inspecting the premises officers examined a chair frequently used by the accused and were shocked to discover a pistol hidden beside it along with two live cartridges A police officer stated Had we not been cautious a major incident could have occurred When questioned Khan claimed he kept the weapon as a hobbyThe presence of a firearm in the possession of a drug peddler highlights the dangers law enforcement officers face during such operations Officials noted that if the accused had not been restrained in time he could have accessed the weapon potentially leading to a violent confrontationFurther investigation revealed that Khan is a habitual offender with a history of drug peddling He had previously been arrested by the Oshiwara and Goregaon police for similar offencesAn officer confirmed The accused has been booked and arrested under relevant sections of the BNS and the Arms Act Further investigation is underwayThe police are now probing Khanrsquos drug network the source of the recovered firearm and possible links to larger criminal syndicatesMumbai Retired banker duped of Rs 23 lakh in digital arrest scamA 78yearold retired manager of a multinational bank has become the latest victim of adigital arrest scam losing Rs 23 lakh to cyber fraudsters The complainant a Daulat Nagar Borivli East resident received a call last month from an individual posing as a Telecom Regulatory Authority of India TRAI officer The call was then transferred to someone claiming to be an officer from the Andheri Crime Branch who alleged that the complainant was involved in a large hawala racketldquoThe caller claimed that theAndheri Crime Branchwas investigating the case and as part of the investigation they needed to place me under house arrestrdquo the complainant stated When he asked what house arrest meant he was informed that he could not leave his home and was required to send updates every two minutes about the whereabouts of everyone in the household The fraudsters then instructed the complainant to transfer the money from his bank account to a specified account under the pretext of verifying his bank details The complainant transferred Rs 23 lakh via RTGS to the account They assured the money would be returned within two hoursHowever when the money wasnrsquot returned the complainant grew suspicious He tried calling the accused but they did not answer his calls Realising he had been cheated he filed a complaint atKasturba Marg Police ldquoBased on the complaint we have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS and the Information Technology IT Act Further investigation is underwayrdquo said an officer from Kasturba Marg police station