DAMAN, Nov 24: In what is described as the biggest seizure, Daman custom officials seized 6.540 kg of mandrax tablets worth Rs 5.97 crores in the international market and arrested five people in this connection.According to Superintendent of Custom (Narcotics) S K Shukla, who was recently transferred to Daman, they were informed that mandrax was being sold in some villages near Vapi. After keeping a watch for three days, custom officials on Monday sent a decoy customer to buy mandrax from one Harshad, who told him to come near the seashore in Bhimpore village.On Monday, when the under-cover custom official reached the place, Harshad and his accomplice arrived on a motorbike (GCY 5626) with 500 gram of mandrax tablets. Plain-clothed custom officials immediately surrounded Harshad and his accomplice and arrested them.The accused then led the police to a colony, located near Hindustan Lever, in Bhimpore village, from where the custom officials arrested three more people and seized rest of the mandrax tablets.The other four accused have been identified as Naresh, Jaswant, Keshav and Jayram. Cases under section 42 of the NDPS ACT, 1995, have been registered against them and the mandrax tablets sent to Vadodara for lab-testing. Assistant Commissioner of Excise G L Meena was also part of the operation team.
