Mephedrone worth Rs 31.8 cr seized in Thane district two held

Thane, Aug 12 (PTI) Police have seized more than 15 kg of mephedrone worth Rs 31.8 crore from two cars on a highway in Maharashtra's Thane district and arrested two men with criminal antecedents, an official said on Tuesday.
    The Thane city police's crime branch had received a tip-off about the delivery of the contraband near Ranjanoli on the Bhiwandi Bypass Road, he said.
    Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amarsingh Jadhav said that based on the information, a police team laid a trap on the Nashik-Thane highway near Ranjanoli and intercepted two cars on August 9.
    Both the accused, Tanveer Ahmed Qamar Ahmed Ansari (23), a resident of Mumbra, and Mahesh Hindurao Desai (35), a resident of Vitthalwadi, were inside the car, he said, adding that they have multiple cases against them.
    "At least 11.7 kg of mephedrone were recovered from Ansari's car, while 4.161 kg of the contraband was seized from Desai's BMW," the official said.
    He said the BMW bore the logo of the Thane Municipal Corporation on the rear, and the police are probing the presence of the sticker, while Ansari was driving a stolen car.
    According to the police, Ansari is linked to several crimes in Bhiwandi, while Desai, who originally hails from Kolhapur, is booked in multiple cases there, including under the NDPS Act and MCOCA.
    "Preliminary investigations suggest the drugs were meant for distribution in Thane and Mumbai. We are probing the supply chain to identify the source and wider network," DCP Jadhav said.
    An FIR under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered with the Kongaon police station of Bhiwandi division.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)