Mumbai: ANC arrests woman, seizes MD, charas, cash worth ₹73.65 lakh

The arrested accused, Nazma Ahmed Shaikh, is a resident of Mahim and is suspected to be involved in supplying drugs for past seven to eight years.

The anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Police arrested a 35-year-old woman at Bandra and allegedly seized mephedrone or MD, charas and cash collectively worth ₹73.65 lakh from her possession.

For representational purpose only. (HT FILE)

The arrested accused, Nazma Ahmed Shaikh, is a resident of Mahim and is suspected to be involved in supplying drugs for past seven to eight years. An ANC officer claimed Shaikh has allegedly bought three to four houses in the city using the profits of illegal drug dealings.

The official further said that Shaikh also had a rented house in Kurla from where the police seized 2,700 grams of charas on Sunday. She was paying ₹30,000 per month as rent for the house to hide the contraband, said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Datta Nalawade of ANC. Shaikh’s husband is currently in jail, facing charges of murder, added Nalawade.

Following a tip-off, the Ghatkopar unit of ANC laid a trap near Patwardhan Garden on Linking Road in Bandra and nabbed Shaikh on Sunday. During search, MD worth ₹10 lakh and ₹20,000 in cash was recovered from her.

She was then brought to the unit office where police conducted further inquiry and learnt about her rented house in Kurla. A team then searched the house and recovered 2 kg and 700 grams of charas and ₹9.45 lakh, said Nalawade.

Shaikh was arrested under relevant sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and was produced before the court. The court has remanded her in police custody till Wednesday.

Shaikh is an active drug supplier and is allegedly involved in smuggling and distributing drugs in the city from Worli to Andheri. She mostly travels in her own car at night and distributes contrabands to drug peddlers, said the officer.