THE Gujarat government has announced a special investigation team to probe charges of criminal conspiracy and forgery, among others, against former DGP RB Sreekumar, activist Teesta Setalvad and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. The three were charged following a Supreme Court order upholding a clean chit to the Modi government in the 2002 riots, which passed strictures against the three. The FIR against the three quotes extensively from the Supreme Court order.A profile of the SIT:Deepan Bhadran: The head of the team, the 41-year-old police officer is a native of Kerala and an IPS officer of the 2007 batch. A B.Tech in Electronics Engineering, he has served at various crucial positions in the Gujarat Police, including the much-coveted DCP, Crime, Ahmedabad, post from 2015 to 2020, and as in-charge SP of the Gujarat ATS. During his Ahmedabad stint, he upgraded policing skills with crucial software inputs.As DCP, Crime, among the cases he handled was the assassination attempt on former home minister Gordhan Zadafia, and tracing of the Tablighi Jamaat workers who had attended a Delhi congregation ahead of the Covid pandemic, and a Jet Airways threat letter case.In September 2020, Bhadran was transferred as the SP of Jamnagar to deal with land mafia in the city. The move was welcomed on Twitter by Reliance Industries Director, Corporate Affairs, and Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani, who said, “Your posting here will give a great relief to the law-abiding citizens, land owners, builders, businessmen, traders & factory owners of the area.” Jamnagar is home to the Reliance refinery and several critical installations.Bhadran’s biggest achievement in the posting was busting of a land mafia gang led by Jayesh Patel, whose several members were arrested before Patel himself was detained by Interpol in London in March 2021.This led to Bhadran being promoted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), ATS, Ahmedabad headquarters. It was done by upgrading the vacant ex-cadre post of SP, ATS, to the vacant ex-cadre post of DIG, ATS in December 2021.Chaitanya Mandalik: Also a B.Tech, in Civil Engineering, Mandlik, 36, is an IPS of 2011 batch. Originally from Maharashtra, he had ruffled a few feathers as a probationary officer in 2013 when he had busted a gambling den of a BJP member in Rajkot and then led a raid against the same leader’s godown to seize liquor worth Rs 1 crore.Mandlik served as ASP, Diyodar, Banaskantha, in 2015; SP, Mehsana, from 2016 to 2018; and SP, Sabarkantha, till 2021. During his time in Mehsana and Sabarkantha, Mandlik was credited with controlling law and order following the Patidar agitation. In January 2021, he was transferred as DCP, Crime, Ahmedabad.Sunil Joshi: An IPS officer of 2010 batch, the 37-year-old Joshi served as SP, Valsad, from 2016 to 2020, and later as SP, Devbhoomi Dwarka. In November 2021, while he was posted at Devbhoomi Dwarka, he had seized Rs 313 crore worth of drugs, leading to the arrest of three people. As a promotion posting, he was transferred to the ATS last year.B C Solanki: A state cadre officer, Solanki, 61, retired last year as Assistant Commissioner of Police, Special Operations Group (SOG), Ahmedabad, and is currently on extension. He has been named the investigating officer in the Teesta-Sreekumar-Bhatt case. Solanki was part of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT that probed the 2002 Gujarat riot cases (it was the clean chit by the SIT that was upheld by the Supreme Court) and, in 2018, while posted as ACP, SOG, probed allegations against Setalvad’s organisation Citizens for Justice and Peace of illegally exhuming bodies related to the 2002 riots.P G Vaghela: Deputy SP Vaghela was among the 18 officers who investigated the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts which led to the death of 56 people. A court recently convicted 49 people for the blasts, with death sentences to 38. The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) team including Vaghela, 56, led by now Gujarat DGP Ashish Bhatia, had made the first arrest after 19 days of investigation, including tracking lakhs of cellphone calls.A D Parmar: Parmar, 61, retired as an inspector and is currently on extension. He was also part of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT which probed the Gujarat riots, and later served in the SOG of Ahmedabad Police and the Crime Branch.Hiral Raval: A police inspector with the Ahmedabad DCB, Raval, who is in his late 20s, is a direct recruit in the Gujarat Police through GPSC.
The Gujarat government has announced a special investigative team to probe charges of criminal conspiracy and forgery, among others, against former DGP R B Sreekumar, activist Teesta Setalvad and ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. The three were charged following a Supreme Court order upholding a clean chit to the Modi government in the 2002 riots, which passed strictures against the three. The FIR against the three quotes extensively from the Supreme Court order.A profile of the SITDeepan Bhadran: The head of the team, the 41-year-old police officer is a native of Kerala and an IPS officer of the 2007 batch. A B.Tech in Electronics Engineering, he has served at various crucial positions in the Gujarat Police, including the much-coveted DCP, Crime, Ahmedabad, post from 2015 to 2020, and as in-charge SP of the Gujarat ATS. During his Ahmedabad stint, he upgraded policing skills with crucial software inputs.As DCP, Crime, among the cases he handled was the assassination attempt on former home minister Gordhan Zadafia, and tracing of the Tablighi Jamaat workers who had attended a Delhi congregation ahead of the Covid pandemic, and a Jet Airways threat letter case.In September 2020, Bhadran was transferred as the SP of Jamnagar to deal with land mafia in the city. The move was welcomed on Twitter by Reliance Industries Director, Corporate Affairs, and Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani, who said, “Your posting here will give a great relief to the law-abiding citizens, land owners, builders, businessmen, traders & factory owners of the area.” Jamnagar is home to the Reliance refinery and several critical installations.Bhadran’s biggest achievement in the posting was busting of a land mafia gang led by Jayesh Patel, whose several members were arrested before Patel himself was detained by Interpol in London in March 2021.This led to Bhadran being promoted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), ATS, Ahmedabad Headquarters. It was done by upgrading the vacant ex-cadre post of SP, ATS, to the vacant ex-cadre post of DIG, ATS in December 2021.Chaitanya Mandalik: Also a B.Tech, in Civil Engineering, Mandlik, 36, is an IPS of 2011 batch. Originally from Maharashtra, he had ruffled a few feathers as a probationary officer in 2013 when he had busted a gambling den of a BJP member in Rajkot and then led a raid against the same leader’s godown to seize liquor worth Rs 1 crore.Mandlik served as ASP, Diyodar, Banaskantha, in 2015; SP, Mehsana, from 2016 to 2018; and SP, Sabarkantha, till 2021. During his time in Mehsana and Sabarkantha, Mandlik was credited with controlling law and order following the Patidar agitation. In January 2021, he was transferred as DCP, Crime, Ahmedabad.Sunil Joshi: An IPS officer of 2010 batch, the 37-year-old Joshi served as SP, Valsad, from 2016 to 2020, and later as SP, Devbhoomi Dwarka. In November 2021, while he was posted at Devbhoomi Dwarka, he had seized Rs 313 crore worth of drugs, leading to the arrest of three people. As a promotion posting, he was transferred to the ATS last year.B C Solanki: A state cadre officer, Solanki, 61, retired last year as Assistant Commissioner of Police, Special Operations Group (SOG), Ahmedabad, and is currently on extension. He has been named the investigating officer in the Teesta-Sreekumar-Bhatt case. Solanki was part of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT that probed the 2002 Gujarat riot cases (it was the clean chit by the SIT that was upheld by the Supreme Court) and, in 2018, while posted as ACP, SOG, probed allegations against Setalvad’s organisation Citizens for Justice and Peace of illegally exhuming bodies related to the 2002 riots.P G Vaghela: Deputy SP Vaghela was among the 18 officers who investigated the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts which led to the death of 56 people. A court recently convicted 49 people for the blasts, with death sentences to 38. The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) team including Vaghela, 56, led by now Gujarat DGP Ashish Bhatia, had made the first arrest after 19 days of investigation, including tracking lakhs of cellphone calls.A D Parmar: Parmar, 61, retired as an inspector and is currently on extension. He was also part of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT which probed the Gujarat riots, and later served in the SOG of Ahmedabad Police and the Crime Branch.Hiral Raval: A police inspector with the Ahmedabad DCB, Raval, who is in his late 20s, is a direct recruit in the Gujarat Police through GPSC.
The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Sunday arrested six Pakistani nationals and seized 77 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 385 crore from a boat mid-sea off Jakhau coast in Kutch.According to officials, a joint team of ATS and ICG intercepted a boat, Al Hussaini, 35 nautical miles from Jakhau coast in Kutch along the international maritime boundary line (IMBL) and arrested six Pakistani nationals for allegedly trying to ship the drugs from Karachi in Pakistan to India. The arrested have been identified as Mohammad Imran Vagher, Ismail Badala, Mohammad Sajid Vagher, Sagar Vagher, Mohammad Danish Vagher and Ashfaq Vagher, all residents of Karachi.At a press conference in Ahmedabad on Monday, Ashish Bhatia, Director General of Police (DGP), Gujarat Police, said, “After ATS officials received a tip that a boat carrying narcotics consignment from Karachi was to enter India, the ICG officials were contacted and using their interceptor boat, in a joint operation, six Pakistani nationals were held and 77 kilograms of heroin was seized mid-sea. The accused are being brought to Ahmedabad for further interrogation.”“Primary investigation has revealed that two handlers — Haji Hasan and Haji Hasam — who are part of Pakistan drug mafia, had contacted one of the arrested, Mohammad Imran, to arrange for six persons and set off on a fishing boat. The drugs consignment was delivered to the fishermen five nautical miles from a Karachi port by Haji Hasam’s relative, Mamu. The consignment was to be smuggled to Punjab after landing at Gujarat coast,” Bhatia said, adding the investigation in the recent cases of drug seizure in Morbi and Devbhumi Dwarka has been handed over to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).Gujarat ATS officials also added that accused smugglers were using very high frequency (VHF) channels to connect to the receivers and their code words for communication were “Hari 1 and Hari 2”.When asked about a spike in recent drug seizures off the Gujarat coast, Bhatia said, “We know that Gujarat coast is the nearest to Karachi ports, therefore, despite the current seizures, these elements have been trying to use the same route to smuggle drugs because of the huge profit margin. The ones arrested in the seizures are mere pawns and the big players are sitting over there (in Pakistan). Police have also initiated the procedure to get red corner notices issued against such persons but the results are limited.”
AHMEDABAD: In a joint operation of the Gujarat anti-terrorist squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), a Pakistani fishing boat with six crew members from Karachi, allegedly carrying 77kg of heroin worth around Rs 385 crore, was held in Indian waters off the coast of Jakhau late on Sunday night, Gujarat DGP (director general of police) Ashish Bhatia said on Monday. The seizure was made in a mid-sea operation some 35 nautical miles off the Jakhau coast in Kutch district of Gujarat. ATS officers and the ICG team apprehended the Pakistani fishing boat 'Al Huseini' with six crew members on board in Indian waters and seized 77kg of heroin. This is the biggest mid-sea seizure of contraband this year by Gujarat ATS. The operation was monitored by Gujarat ATS DIG Himanshu Shukla. The boat has been brought to Jakhau for further investigation. In September, Gujarat ATS had seized some 35kg of heroin in a mid-sea operation and arrested seven Iran nationals on September 18. On November 14, ATS sleuths raided a house at Jinjuvada village in Morbi district, arrested three persons and seized 120kg of the drug. During the investigation, they arrested around 11 persons and seized 146kg more of heroin, worth Rs 730 crore. Regarding the mid-sea operation late on Sunday night, Gujarat police officers said the Pakistani boat had left Karachi port and was trying to establish contact using the very-high frequency (VHF) radio channel and code words, 'Hari-1' and 'Hari-2', for delivery of the drugs. The joint operation was carried out after DySP of ATS Bhavesh Rozia received a tip-off that a boat from Karachi was to come 35 nautical miles off the Jakhau coast, after crossing the International Maritime Border Line, the officers said. The boat, belonging to one Shahbaz Ali from Karachi, left Karachi port and its crew loaded the drugs sent to them via a fibre boat about six nautical miles away from Karachi port. Interrogation of the captured Pakistani nationals revealed that the heroin was supplied by two Pakistani smugglers, identified as Haji Hasan and Haji Hasam, and according to the tip-off. It was to be delivered to elements associated with the underworld in Punjab. It was to be offloaded somewhere on the Kutch coast, said ATS officers. When challenged, the crew tried to flee but the boat was outmanoeuvred and the crew was forced to surrender by the ICG and ATS team, an official statement from the defence ministry said. Despite adverse weather conditions, the boat was thoroughly searched and five bags containing approximately 77kg of heroin were seized, it said. The crew members caught by ATS and ICG were identified as Mohammed Imran Vagher, Mohammed Sajid Vagher, Mohammed Danish Vagher, Ashfaq Vagher, all residents of Muslim Mujahid Colony, Baldiya Town, Karachi; Ismail Badala, a resident of the Badar ground area in Karachi and Sagar Vagher, a resident of Baba Island in Karachi.
AHMEDABAD: A Pakistani fishing boat with six crew members and carrying 77 kg of heroin worth around Rs 400 crore was apprehended in the Indian waters off the Gujarat coast, officials said on Monday. The drug seizure was made after Sunday midnight in a joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), around 35 nautical miles off the Jakhau coast in Kutch district of Gujarat, they said. They apprehended the Pakistani fishing boat 'Al Huseini' with six crew members on board in the Indian waters and seized "77 kg of heroin worth approximately Rs 400 crore," Gujarat's defence PRO said in a tweet in the morning. The boat was later brought to the Jakhau coast for further investigation, he said. The Gujarat ATS in a release said the Pakistani boat had left the Karachi port and was trying to establish contact using very high frequency (VHF) radio channel and code words, 'Hari-1' and 'Hari-2', for the delivery of the drugs. The joint operation was carried out after the ATS received a tip-off that the boat from Karachi was to reach around 35 nautical miles off the Jakhau coast, after crossing the International Maritime Border Line between the two countries, it said. The boat, belonging to one Shahbaz Ali, left the Karachi port and its crew members loaded the drugs sent to them on a fibre boat at a distance of six nautical miles from the Karachi port. Preliminary interrogation of the captured Pakistani nationals revealed the heroin was supplied by two Pakistani smugglers, identified as Haji Hasan and Haji Hasam, and according to the tip-off, it was to be delivered to people associated with the underworld in Punjab, the ATS said. It was to be offloaded somewhere along the Gujarat coast in Kutch, it said. When challenged, the boat's crew members tried to flee. But, the boat was outmaneuvered and the crew members were forced to surrender by the ICG and ATS team, a defence release said. Despite adverse weather conditions, the boat was thoroughly rummaged and five bags containing approximately 77 kg of heroin were seized. "The market value of the seized narcotics is estimated to be approximately Rs 400 crore," it said. The ATS said it has conducted various operations and seized around 920 kg of drugs between August 2018 and December 2021, estimated to to be priced at around Rs 4,600 crore in the international markets. The ATS has arrested some Pakistani, Iranian and Afghan nationals as well as Indians helping them smuggle the drugs using the Gujarat coast, it said. According to the Coast Guard, the latest drug haul is its second joint operation with the Gujarat ATS within three months. In September this year, they had seized 30 kg of heroin worth Rs 150 crore transported by an Iranian fishing boat at the Arabian Sea of the Gujarat coast. Prior to it, in April this year, the Coast Guard and the ATS had carried out a similar operation and apprehended a boat with eight Pakistani nationals and carrying 30 kg of heroin worth about Rs 150 crore, from the Indian waters near the Jakhau coast in Kutch, officials earlier said. Last month, the ATS had seized a heroin drug consignment worth about Rs 600 crore from an under-construction house in Gujarat's Morbi district. The ATS had said the consignment was sent by Pakistani drug dealers to their Indian counterparts via the Arabian Sea. In September this year, in the single largest heroin haul in India, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had seized around 3,000 kg of the drug, believed to be from Afghanistan and likely worth Rs 21,000 crore in the global market, from two containers at the Mundra port in Kutch, officials earlier said.
The Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation with the anti-terrorist squad, seized a Pakistani fishing boat off the coast of Gujarat for allegedly carrying 77 kilograms of heroin worth approximately Rs 400 crore, sources said on Monday.The Pakistani boat — “Al Huseini” — was seized following an overnight operation conducted in the high seas. The boat had six members and the contraband substance was being brought to Jakhau for further investigations, the sources added.
NEW DELHI: A Pakistani fishing boat 'Al Huseini' has been apprehended in Gujarat with six crew members in the Indian waters carrying 77 kgs of heroin worth approximately Rs 400 crore, public relations office (PRO), defence informed on Monday. The joint operation was carried out by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) with Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). "Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation with Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), has apprehended a Pakistani fishing boat 'Al Huseini' with 6 crew in Indian waters carrying 77 kgs of heroin worth approximately Rs 400 crores," informed PRO Defence, Gujarat in a tweet. The @IndiaCoastGuard in a joint Ops with ATS #Gujarat has apprehended one Pak Fishing Boat "Al Huseini" with 06 c… https://t.co/g81TWkITUm— PRO Defence Gujarat (@DefencePRO_Guj) 1639962982000
AHMEDABAD: The recent seizures of some of the biggest drugs haul in Gujarat cannot be mere coincidence but that happened because the drug mafias had earlier could not clear the drug loads as there were restrictions of movement across the globe due to the Covid-19 pandemic and later the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan â the major manufacturer of the opium. âDue to the Covid-19 pandemic, there were restrictions in travel and transportation due to which mafias could not send the drugs by individual couriers as they earlier used to. Earlier, these drugs mafia used to send small time couriers with the drugs weighing merely in few grams or kilos,â said an agency officer. When the situation was a bit normalised post the pandemic, Taliban took over the power in Afghanistan in August this year. Due to this, the drug mafias are in a hurry to clear their stock fearing fear confiscation of the heroin stock by the Taliban and the drug lords may also face the prospect of summary execution if caught by the Taliban. Not just in India but other countries have been witnessing the big hauls of the drug seizure, said officers of different agencies. This situation also pumped in prodigious quantities of the drugs, mainly heroin, in India. In September, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) had seized 3,000kg heroin from Mundra port in Kutch. On September19, the Gujarat Anti-terrorism squad (ATS) had seized 30kg heroin with seven Iranian crew members in a mid-sea operation. That drugs were also sent in desperation by an Iranian drugs mafia Imam Baksh. Later on November 15, the Gujarat ATS seized 120kg drugs worth Rs 600 crore from Jinjuda village of Morbi and so far nabbed seven members. The drugs consignment was sent by an alleged Pakistani drugs Mafia Zahid Baloch.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat anti-terrorism squad (ATS) which is investigating the seizure of 120kg of heroin in Morbi, on Tuesday arrested two persons from Sirohi in Rajasthan and one from Jamnagar. ATS sleuths also seized 24kg more of heroin, worth Rs 120 crore, from Navadra village in Jam-Kalyanpur taluka of Devbhoomi-Dwarka district, its officers said on Wednesday. The development came after ATS had on Sunday arrested three persons â Mukhtar Hussein alias Jabbar Jodiya, a resident of Jodia in Jamnagar, Ghulam Bhagad from Salaya in Devbhoomi-Dwarka, and Shamsuddin Husseinmiya Saiyyed alias Pirzada Bapu, a resident of Jinjuda village in Morbi â for possession of 120kg of heroin, worth Rs 600 crore. Hussein and Bhagad, at the instruction of Husseinâs brother Isa Rav, brought the drugs from a Pakistani drug racketeer, Zahid Bashir Baloch. During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused were active in states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Punjab. Of the consignment of 132kg brought from Pakistan, 12kg was to be given to the aides of jailed sharpshooter Bharatbhusan Sharma alias Bhola Shooter â Ankit Jakhad and Arvind Yadav. The 12kg was to be delivered to the two by a Jamnagar resident, Iqbal Qadri. When Qadri went to deliver the drugs, a team of Gujarat ATS caught him, and Yadav, a resident of Sriganganagar in Rajasthan, from Sirohi district in Rajasthan, said an official statement of the ATS. During questioning, Yadav told cops that Sharma had been running the racket from Faridkot jail where he has been imprisoned in connection with cases of murder, attempted murder and extortion. Sharmaâs aide, Jakhad, has been managing the illicit business at his behest, said an ATS officer, adding that both Sharma and Jakhad were close aides of another gangster, Lawrence Bishnoi. The ATS officer also said that they have also detained a wanted accused, Isa Ravâs son, Hussein Rav, in the case. On questioning Mukhtar Hussein, he told cops that one consignment, 24kg, was kept at the house of Anwar Patelia at Navadra village in Jam-Kalyanpur taluka of Devbhoomi-Dwarka district. An ATS team rushed there and seized the consignment, worth Rs 120 crore.
Days after three men were arrested from Morbi with 120 kg of heroin, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested three more accused on Wednesday from Rajasthan and Devbhumi Dwarka in Gujarat and recovered 24 kg heroin.According to ATS officials, a team seized 24 kg of heroin from a house in Navadra village under Jamkalyanpur taluka of Devbhu-mi Dwarka and arrested one An-war Pateliya alias Anu Moosa. Two more accused, Iqbal Bhangariyo, a native of Jamnagar and Arvind Yadav, a native of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, were held from Sirohi of Rajasthan.On Sunday night, an ATS team had raided an under-construction house in Jinjuda village in Morbi and seized 120 kg heroin. Police had also arrested three accused- Mukhtar Hussein alias Jabbar Jodiya, Shamsuddin Saiyyed and Ghulam Husseinmiya Bhagad during the raid.According to ATS, the heroin consignment was originally shipped from Pakistan in the last week of October and the accused had received the consignment mid sea in their dhow.“Among the three accused held on Sunday, Mukhtar Hussein told us that he is in contact with drug suppliers in Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. He told us that he had sent 12 kg of heroin to Rajasthan where Iqbal Bhangariyo had delivered it to two persons Ankit Jakhad and Arvind Yadav, who both work for drug mafia Bhola Shooter in Rajasthan. Bhola is currently lodged in Faridkot jail in Punjab and he used Ankit and Arvind for drug supply,” said an ATS official.“It has also come out that Bhola Shooter works for Rajasthan gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. After we received intelligence input, Arvind Yadav and Iqbal Bhangariyo were held from Sirohi in Rajasthan. Additionally, Mukhtar Hussein told us that he had hidden another consignment of 24 kilograms of Heroin in village in Devbhumi Dwarka. A team was sent with him and we recovered the drugs from the house of Anwar Pateliya in Nava-dra village,” the official added.
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested three persons from a village in Morbi district with 120kg of heroin on Sunday night. The seized drugs have an estimated international value of Rs 600 crore, DGP Ashish Bhatia told reporters here on Monday. This drug consignment was allegedly sent by a resident of Pakistan, Zahid Bashir Baloch. He is a wanted absconder in the 2019 case in which 227kg of heroin was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. Acting on an input received by deputy superintendent of police, ATS, K K Patel, a team of the Gujarat ATS led by DSP Bhavesh Rojiya raided an under-construction house belonging to one Shamsuddin Husseinmiya Saiyyed near the Dargah of Kotawala Pir in Jinjuda village of Maliya-Miyana in Morbi. The heroin was seized after the raid. Patel had received an intelligence input to the effect that one of the accused, Mukhtar Hussein alias Jabbar Jodiya, and Ghulam Bhagad, residents of Jodia in Jamnagar and Salaya in Devbhoomi-Dwarka respectively, had smuggled in the narcotics through the sea route. According to the input, the two accused were going to meet at night at the house of the third accused, Shamsuddin Husseinmiya Saiyyed alias Pirzada Bapu. Consequently, an ATS team nabbed the accused with the heroin at Saiyyedâs house. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the consignment of heroin was brought by Hussein and Bhagad via the sea route and they had received the delivery from a Pakistani boat. Isa Rav Hussein, brother of Mukhtar Hussein, was in contact with Pakistani-resident Baloch and had exchanged the coordinates for the delivery of the drugs in a mid-sea operation. The drug consignment was delivered in the last week of October and it was initially hidden in the coastal region near Salaya. It was subsequently moved to Saiyyedâs house in Jinjuda village in Morbi.
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat anti-terrorism squad (ATS) on Sunday night arrested three persons with 120 kg of heroin worth Rs 600 crore in illicit market from a village in Morbi district, said officers on Monday. Deputy superintendent of police, ATS, KK Patel gathered an intelligence input that the accused Mukhtar Hussein alias Jabbar Jodiya and Ghulam Bhagad, residents of Jodia in Jamnagar and Salaya in Devbhoomi-Dwarka respectively, brought the narcotic substances through the sea route. According to the input, the two accused were going to assemble in the night at the house of the third accused Shamsuddin Husseinmiya Saiyyed alias Pirzada Bapu, located near the Dargah of Kotawala Pir in Jinjuda village of Maliya-Miyana in Morbi. Acting on the input, a team of the Gujarat ATS, led by DySP Bhavesh Rojiya, had raided the under-construction house belonging to Saiyyed and recovered 120 kg of heroin with an estimated international value of Rs 600 crore, said DGP Ashish Bhatia before reporters on Monday. The three accused â Hussein, Bhagad and Saiyyed â were nabbed by the Gujarat ATS in connection with the case. Preliminary investigation has revealed that the consignment of heroin was brought by Hussein and Bhagad via the sea route where they had received the delivery from a Pakistani boat. This drug consignment was sent by Zahid Bashir Baloch, a resident of Pakistan, who is a wanted absconder in the seizure of 227 kg of heroin done by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in 2019. Isa Rav Hussein, brother of Mukhtar Hussein, was in contact with Baloch and had exchanged the coordinates for the delivery of the narcotic drugs in the sea. According to their plan, the drug was delivered in the last week of October and the consignment was initially hidden in the coastal region near Salaya. It was subsequently moved to Saiyyedâs house in Jinjuda village in Morbi.
RAJKOT: In a massive haul, the police in Devbhumi Dwarka district seized banned narcotic substances, whose value is expected to be over Rs 300 crore, on Wednesday. In joint operation by special operation group and police, 19 packets of drugs worth Rs 88 lakh were seized in the morning while another 47 packets were found later. The drugs were brought from sea route to be smuggled into Gujarat from the coastal areas of Dwarka district. Police sources said that based on specific information, they detained Sajjad Dhosi (44), a resident of Mumbra of Thane district in Maharashtra and found drug packets concealed in his bags. He was carrying 6.618 kg methamphetamine and 11.483 kg heroin in three bags including luggage and school bag. This seizure is valued at Rs 88.25 crore. Sajjad came to Khambhalia from Thane on November 7 and had checked into a guest house. He checked out on November 9 and took the delivery of the drugs. When he was leaving on Wednesday, police intercepted him Aaradhna Dham on the highway. Ghosi, a vegetable vendor, had come to Khambhalia three days back to take the delivery of drugs During interrogation by local crime branch and SOG, Dhosi told cops that he got these drugs from Salim Yakub Kara and Ali Yakub Kara, both natives of the coastal Salaya town near Jamnagar. When police raided their residences, they found another 47 packets of drugs, contents of which were being verified by the forensic team. Talking to TOI Sandeep Singh, range IG Rajkot, said âWe have found more 47 packets and the contents are being analyzed. Primary investigation reveals that the drugs came through the sea route but we are investigating how it came, whether it came in a boat, what was the modus operandi and who are other people involved in this racket.â âGhosi had gone to jail in a murder case in the past and Salim Kara has been arrested in the past in NDPS, fake currency and Arms Act cases," Singh said. According to police, Sajjad was supposed to go to Maharashtra after taking the delivery of the consignment but itâs not clear who was the receipent of the 47 packets. Sources claimed that the police have detained Salim and Ali. Infamous smugglerSalaya has been infamous for smuggling, especially during the era of the Gold Control act. According to sources in the customs department, gold and cigarettes were being smuggled from Salaya. There are 42 desolate islands near Dwarka which are potential routes for drug peddlers. According to notification, itâs prohibited to go on these islands to prevent illegal activities. However, criminals are using these islands as a haven. Police had information of drug peddling for a long time but this was the first time they succeeded in nabbing the peddlers with huge stock.
