Drug peddler nabbed after ‘high’ drama in Mira Road

The incident was captured on video by several residents and has since been shared widely on social media

MUMBAI: The DB Ozone building in Mira Bhayandar was witness to high drama on Sunday. Quite literally, as Mohammad Abdul Mateen, 39, an alleged drug peddler dangled precariously from the ledge of a balcony of a tenth-floor apartment for several minutes before being nabbed by the police. The incident was captured on video by several residents and has since been shared widely on social media.

When police broke open the door to the 10th floor apartment, they found the accused hanging dangerously from the balcony, trying to jump to another balcony

Mateen, an alleged mephedrone (MD) peddler and accused in a Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act case at the Rein Bazar police in Hyderabad, was wanted for over seven months. After the Hyderabad police learned that he was living in an apartment in Mira Bhayandar on rent, they contacted the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai Virar police and sought their help to nab him.

On Sunday, a team from the Kashimira police station went to apprehend Mateen from the tenth floor flat in DB Ozone where he was residing, but he refused to open the door. “When we broke open the door and looked for him, we found him hanging dangerously from the balcony, trying to jump to another balcony,” said a police officer. The cops informed the fire brigade about the situation even as they tried to persuade him to return back into the flat.

“Fire-brigade personnel reached the spot in no time and spread a safety net beneath him to prevent injuries in case he fell off. Finally, after a lot of persuading, we managed to pull him back into the flat,” said the officer quoted earlier.

After being rescued by police and fire brigade officials, Mateen was arrested and handed over to police from Hyderabad, where he is booked in a drug peddling case.