4 foreign nationals arrested with MD worth ₹1.5 cr in Mumbra

Acting on a tip-off about suspicious activities by foreign nationals staying in Hari Om building at Samrat Nagar, a police team led by assistant police inspector Vinayak Mane raided their flat on Wednesday

Thane: The Mumbra police have arrested four foreign nationals, including three Tanzanian and one Nigerian citizen, after allegedly recovering 1.498 kg of mephedrone (MD), valued at ₹1.50 crore in the illicit market, from their flat in Samrat Nagar. The arrests are among seven made in three separate NDPS cases in Mumbra over the past 12 days, with the police investigating whether the four foreign nationals were part of a larger international drug trafficking network.

4 foreign nationals arrested with MD worth ₹1.5 cr in Mumbra

Acting on a tip-off about suspicious activities by foreign nationals staying in Hari Om building at Samrat Nagar, a police team led by assistant police inspector Vinayak Mane raided their flat on Wednesday.

The police seized 1.146 kg of white-brown MD and 352.5 gm of brown MD, along with mobile phones and electronic weighing scales. The total value of the seized narcotics was estimated at ₹1.50 crore in the illicit market.

The accused have been identified as Rashid Muzammil Saeed, Hasan Nyumbe Ali, 34, and Kevin Adolf Wosa, 26, all Tanzanian nationals, and Obiali Alex Zender Chidibere, 34, a Nigerian national. All four were residing in the building.

Balasaheb Patil, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 1, said the police were verifying the accused’s entry into India, the validity of their passports and visas, and the purpose of their stay.

The police are also investigating whether the accused were connected to a larger international drug trafficking network and identifying their alleged buyers in Mumbai, Thane and other parts of Maharashtra, he said.

Separately, the Mumbra police have begun identifying foreign nationals staying in rented accommodation or as paying guests in the area. They are checking whether landlords have executed mandatory rent agreements and informed the local police about their tenants. Action will be taken against landlords if violations are found, police said.

The four accused have been booked under Sections 8(c), 22(c) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. They were arrested on Thursday and remanded in police custody till November 5 by a local court.

Since January this year, the Mumbra police’s NDPS squad has booked 39 people for allegedly selling narcotics and seized drugs worth around ₹32 crore. It has also taken action against 635 people for consuming ganja and other drugs in public places, and against 912 people for smoking or consuming tobacco products.

2 more arrested in separate cases

In one of the other cases, the NDPS squad arrested an 18-year-old man, Sahil Siraj Shaikh, and seized 1.3 kg of ganja worth ₹28,000 from him.

According to the police, a patrol team spotted Shaikh moving suspiciously near Zendewala Baba in Irani Basti. He was detained after failing to give satisfactory answers, and a search led to the recovery of the ganja. He has been booked under Sections 8(c), 20(b) and 29 of the NDPS Act.

In another case, the police arrested Mohammed Rehan Yusuf Shaikh, 20, near Roz Nursery in Kausa on October 18 and seized 59.5 gm of MD, valued at ₹1.78 lakh. A patrol team had spotted him moving suspiciously near Arabian Dastar hotel and detained him.

During questioning, Shaikh allegedly told investigators that he had purchased the drug from Sohel Sakir Ali alias Sohel Bhopali alias Bob, 39. The police traced Ali to Shilphata through technical analysis and arrested him.

Ali has several cases registered against him under the NDPS Act at Mumbra police station and elsewhere, police said. Both men have been booked under Sections 8(c), 22(c) and 29 of the Act.