Woman from Sion Koliwada arrested with heroin worth ₹21.60 crore

The accused woman was arrested in 2015 by the Ghatkopar ANC unit with 50 grams of heroin and had served one year in jail. She was again arrested by the Worli unit in 2018 with 25 grams of heroin and spent 10 months in prison

The anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the Mumbai crime branch has arrested a 53-year-old woman from Sion Koliwada with over seven kilograms of heroin worth ₹21.60 crore in the illicit market. The contraband material was delivered from the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan.

The heroin was delivered from the Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan and was collected by the accused woman from Sion Koliwada. (Shutterstock)

The arrested woman, Amina Hamja Shaikh alias Lali, a resident of Mankhurd, had collected the drugs near her building two days ago, said police.

“Shaikh has been a part of a drug syndicate in Mumbai for more than a decade and has been arrested twice earlier,” said deputy commissioner of police Datta Nalawade of ANC.

The ANC on October 4 had raided a hotel in south Mumbai and had arrested two suppliers — Hakim Gul Khan and Jeevanlal Bherulal Mida, both residents of Pratapgarh — and had allegedly seized 5kg heroin worth ₹15 crore. The duo had revealed the names of the main drug suppliers in Mumbai. The ANC kept a watch on them through a network of its informants. Recently, the agency got a tip-off about a major consignment delivered in Mumbai.

Police inspector Lata Sutar of the Ghatkopar ANC unit laid a trap and arrested Shaikh from Sion Koliwada area. After search police seized a total 7.2 kilograms of heroin worth ₹21.60 crore from her, added Nalawade.

She revealed during interrogation that she had procured the contraband material from two residents of Naugama in Pratapgarh district.

She was arrested in 2015 by the Ghatkopar ANC unit with 50 grams of heroin and had served one year in jail. She was again arrested by the Worli unit in 2018 with 25 grams of heroin and spent 10 months in prison, added Nalawade.

“Shaikh sold drugs through her network of 10 regular peddlers. She revealed that her supplier from Rajasthan use a new person with a new mobile phone to deliver drugs in the city. The drugs come by train and bus, and they keep the contraband in one compartment and book tickets adjoining compartment to avoid getting caught with the consignment,” Nalawade added.