Thane woman held for links to Rs 27 crore drugs seizure

An alleged woman drug peddler with multiple cases registered against her has been arrested in connection with the seizure of mephedrone worth Rs 27 crore in Maharashtrarsquos Thane district police said on TuesdayThe accused identified as Rubina Niyazu Sheikh was arrested from the Mumbra area of Thane following investigations into the drug haul in which five persons were taken into custody last month an official saidRole exposed through call records CopsHer involvement surfaced after an analysis of call detail records CDRs of the arrested accused and other wanted persons showed that she was in frequent contact with them he addedAccording to police the accused allegedly received consignments of mephedrone and supplied them in Mumbai and adjoining areasSheikh had earlier come under the scanner after the Narcotics Control Bureau NCB arrested her and her associate Neelofer Sherali Cendole from a dargah in Raigad district Following the arrests drugs gold and more than Rs 1 crore in cash were recovered from her Bandra residence the official saidLast month the Mumbra police seized 13 kg of mephedrone valued at Rs 272 crore and arrested five persons including four suppliers from Madhya PradeshThe Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act MCOCA is likely to be invoked against Sheikh and her associates the official added noting that more arrests are likely in the caseWildlife influencer arrested in Rs 26 crore drug trafficking caseMeanwhile in an another case Chhattisgarh Police last week busted a Rs 26 crore ganja trafficking racket under Operation Nishchay allegedly led by a man who projected himself online as a snake rescuer and wildlife conservationistWildlife experts in Maharashtra have now demanded a thorough probe to determine whether the influencer known as lsquoSarpamitra Akash Jadhavrsquo was also involved in the illegal capture supply or trafficking of snakes and other wild animals in the stateExperts seek wider probeAdvocate Pawan Sharma founder and president of RAWW Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare told midday that the illegal exchange of snake species has been prevalent among certain ldquosarpamitrasrdquo and snake handlers for decades ldquoThere has been information in the past about king cobras and other protected species being brought to Mumbai Thane and Navi Mumbai according to Forest Department sourcesrdquo Sharma saidldquoIt is no secret that wildlife trafficking has long been linked with other organised crimes such as narcotics arms smuggling hawala operations and underworld networks These syndicates operate in a highly sophisticated and lowprofile manner There is an urgent need for a multijurisdictional task force with proper infrastructure and manpower to curb such crimesrdquo he addedSharma said a detailed investigation across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region would likely reveal more links and individuals involved