Mumbai NCB arrests 5 after ops in Pune, Goa

Additional intelligence was analysed which led to identification of the Pune-based receiver named Sagar B, the NCB said. It was further found that a  friend of Sagar named Rajesh B C, a Pune-based medical firm owner, was involved in the illicit business and was primarily responsible for procurement of drugs from various suppliers.

A parcel was intercepted at a courier centre at Pune which was destined for Sagar. On May 2, NCB-Mumbai officials who had reached the courier office at Pune and had set up a trap, waited for Sagar to arrive to receive the consignment.

Soon, Sagar and his friend Rajesh arrived in the courier office and after the parcel was received by them, both of them were intercepted and when the parcel was checked, it was found to be containing a total of 5,970 tablets of Nitrazepam illegally diverted. According to NCB, when questioned, Sagar confessed that the consignment was meant for another Pune-based person named Swaraj B.

On the same night, Swaraj was also apprehended from Pune. Swaraj stated that he was involved in the street-level peddling of illicitly diverted pharmaceutical drugs from his medical shop.

In the second operation based in Goa, on the intervening night of April 3 and 4, one Kenya national named Samuel  was intercepted at Dabolim, Goa airport by the Customs officials having suspicion for concealment of some non-metallic substance in his baggage raised during screening /scanning of his luggage. Samuel travelled to India from Johannesburg (SA) via Dubai.

Information in this regard was immediately passed by the Customs officials to the NCB, Goa and subsequently, a team of NCB, Goa reached Dabolim airport and conducted a thorough search of Samuel along with his baggage. During the search, cocaine in two packets, weighing a total 1.009 kg, concealed in his trolley bag, was recovered, an official said.

Instant investigation in this case revealed that the seized consignment of cocaine was supposed to be delivered to someone at New Delhi.  After continued intensive analysis and field surveillance , the alleged receiver of the seized cocaine, James EC, who is a Nigerian national, was apprehended on May 5 by the NCB team at Delhi.