Daijiworld Media Network- Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 2: Police in Mumbai have arrested a 60-year-old banana vendor on charges of smuggling MD drugs valued at over Rs 35 lakh while posing as a fruit seller in Bandra.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Ali Abdul Gaffar Sheikh, was apprehended with 153 grams of the contraband substance during a late-night operation near the Bandra Bus Depot. According to police, he had been selling bananas near Bandra railway station, but was simultaneously peddling drugs under the guise of being a vendor.
Acting on a tip-off, the Crime Branch Unit 9 intercepted him on Maharashtranagar Road and found a metal box in his handcart containing a bag of MD drugs. The seized narcotics are estimated to be worth Rs 35.30 lakh in the international market.
A case has been registered under the NDPS Act, and Sheikh was remanded to police custody until September 3. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed that financial hardships drove him to take up the drug trade alongside his banana business.
Police are investigating the source of the drugs, his possible accomplices, and whether he has a prior criminal record.