Nagpur: The Anti-Narcotics Squad of the Nagpur Crime Branch arrested four persons and seized 20.585 kg of ganja worth ₹10.28 lakh during an operation in the Pachpaoli police station area late Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Police also seized a Hyundai car, a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw, four mobile phones and other property, taking the total value of the seized material to ₹18.15 lakh.
The action was carried out between 11 pm on September 1 and 1.40 am on September 2 on a public cement road near the Muslim cemetery in Taj Nagar, Teka, under the Pachpaoli police station limits.
The arrested accused have been identified as Sheikh Imran alias Baba Sheikh Mukhtar, a resident of Jafar Nagar, Nagpur; Sheikh Abid alias Abu Sheikh Anwar, a resident of the Gutkhala Lake area of Chandrapur; Faizan Raza Abdul Jabbar Sheikh, a resident of Dadmalwad, Chandrapur; and Mohammed Junaid Mohammed Ibrahim Rajwadi, a resident of Vandevi Nagar, Nagpur.
Police have also named Happy alias Paji alias Harpreet Saini, a resident of Jai Vijay Society, Dikshit Nagar, Nagpur, as a wanted accused in the case.
According to police, the Anti-Narcotics Squad conducted a search of the suspects in the presence of two independent witnesses. During the search, the team allegedly recovered 20.585 kg of ganja valued at ₹10,28,250.
The other seized property includes four mobile phones worth ₹31,000, a Hyundai car valued at ₹5 lakh and a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw worth ₹2.5 lakh. Along with cash and other seized material, the total value of the seizure was reported at ₹18,15,750.
Police said accused numbers 2, 4 and the wanted accused have previous cases registered against them under the NDPS Act. Police also stated that accused Sheikh Imran is the brother-in-law of Anis Drum, described by them as a notorious NDPS accused.
A case under Sections 8(c), 20(b)(2)(c) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is being registered at Pachpaoli Police Station.
The action was carried out by the Anti-Narcotics Squad of the Nagpur Crime Branch under the supervision of Police Inspector Bharat Kshirsagar. Further investigation is underway to determine the source and intended destination of the seized ganja and the role of the wanted accused.
