Two held with mephedrone worth Rs 5.39 lakh in Navi Mumbai

A wanted criminal and his accomplice were arrested by the Navi Mumbai Police for allegedly selling narcotic substances under the guise of running a goat farm leading to the seizure of mephedrone valued at Rs 539 lakh officials said on Saturday reported news agency PTIActing on specific information a team of the AntiNarcotics Cell raided a goat farm in sector 13 of Kalamboli on March 10 and arrested Mohd Wasim Samshulhak Chaudhary alias Basim Lungiwala 50 and Adhan Mohammad Patel 32 according to a release issued by the Navi Mumbai Police reported PTIPolice recovered 13 grams of mephedrone MD powder valued at Rs 539200 from the possession of the accusedA preliminary investigation suggested that the accused were selling narcotics under the cover of operating a goat farm officials addedThe accused were wanted in connection with a case registered at Taloja police station under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act and the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita reported PTILungiwala had been booked in at least 14 cases in the Mumbai region including offences related to theft housebreaking possession of stolen property and other crimes registered at various police stations police said Further investigation is underwayHydroponic weed worth Rs 44 crore diamonds gold jewellery seized at Mumbai airportMeanwhile the Customs department has seized narcotic substances foreign currency gold and precious stones worth more than Rs 46 crore in separate cases detected over a week at the Mumbai international airport an official said on March 4 reported PTIA total of 44292 kg of suspected hydroponic weed valued at Rs 44292 crore in the illicit market was recovered in different cases from nine passengers who arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from Bangkok said the official reported PTIAll these passengers were arrested under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act NDPS ActNotably hydroponic weed refers to cannabis cultivated without soil using nutrientrich water solutions in an indoor environmentAdditionally 299 grams of a substance purported to be methaqualone a psychotropic substance under NDPS Act with an estimated illicit market value of Rs 7475000 was also seized according to the officialIn five separate cases Customs department personnel seized foreign and Indian currency equivalent to Rs 3285668 a total of 455 carats of natural and labgrown diamonds valued at Rs 9497300 besides 21 karat gold jewellery weighing 160790 grams and valued at Rs 2151473 he said reported PTIAlso 120369 carats of cut and polished natural emeralds rubies blue sapphires amethyst and multistones valued at Rs 1516127 were recovered from air passengers All seizures were made under relevant provisions of the Customs Act and other applicable laws the official addedWith inputs from PTI