The Mumbai police crime branch unit Friday nabbed two persons and seized heroin worth Rs 5.7 crore concealed in water bottles. They were using bottles with specially made sections in the bottom halves to smuggle the contraband.
The arrested persons included Shamim Khan (52), who is said to be a major heroin supplier in Mumbai. The police had been on the lookout for the woman for the past seven months. The other arrested person has been identified as Rafiq Shaikh (67).
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An officer told The Indian Express they had received prior information regarding the woman being a supplier to drug peddlers, especially those in Bandra and Worli areas.
A team from Unit-III of the crime branch had been keeping an eye on her. On Thursday, API Prakash Linge came to know that the woman, along with a person named Rafiq Shaikh, was smuggling heroin to Mankhurd.
Based on the tip-off, the police team apprehended them and seized two water bottles and a bag. Though the bottles appeared to be filled with water when seen from the top, the sleuths upon checking found that they had a separate compartment in the bottom, wherein the contraband was concealed, the officer said.
The police team then checked the bag they were carrying and found more heroin. The personnel have registered their arrest under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The officer said that the woman has at least two cases registered against her in the past. Her husband has been behind bars for the past three years in connection with another NDPS case.
“We suspect they procured the contraband from someone outside the state. Further investigation is on and a few more arrests are likely in the case,” the officer added.
