Pune: South African arrested with cocaine worth Rs 1.2 L

The anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the Pune City police crime branch has arrested a South African national who was in possession of cocaine worth Rs 1.2 lakhs. Police said the accused Patrick Amos alias Bora (39) was living in an apartment in Morya Park, Pimple Gurav.

Acting on a tip-off, Sandip Shirke and Pravin Uttekar, a patrolling team of anti-narcotic cell laid a trap and nabbed Amos in the Vishrantwadi area on Thursday. During searches, the policemen recovered six grams of cocaine worth Rs 1.2 lakhs, three cell phones, a two-wheeler, Rs 15,000 in cash, an electronic weighing machine and documents such as passport, ID card and bank passbook from his possession. Amos was allegedly planning to sell the cocaine to some customers in Pune, police said.

An FIR in this case was lodged at Vishrantwadi police station as per sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

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Senior police inspector Vinayak Gaikwad of the anti-narcotic cell said that Amos is from South Africa and came to India on a student visa about three years ago. “Amos took admission for a computer science course at Savitribai Phule Pune University, but did not complete the course. He claims to have started a business of selling shoes, but has been found peddling drugs. He has not been arrested in the past, said Gaikwad.

Police are investigating his source of cocaine and the customers he was planning to sell it to, he added.