Mumbai Police has arrested two drug suppliers from Rajasthan. (Reperesentational)
The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai Police has arrested two drug suppliers from Rajasthan and seized heroin worth Rs 15 crore from their possession, an official said on Wednesday.
The Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Mumbai crime branch had received information that some organized syndicates were smuggling heroin into the city from Pratapgarh in Rajasthan, the official said.
It had a tip-off that the contraband was being brought in by train and road, he said.
The Azad Maidan unit of the Anti-Narcotics Cell laid a trap in Dongri area of south Mumbai on Monday and apprehended Hakim Gul Khan (56), a resident of Pratapgarh, and his aide Jivanlal Bherulal Meena (21).
The police recovered 4.5 kg and 500 gm of heroin from Khan and Meena, respectively, the official said, adding that the seized contraband was worth Rs 15 crore.
The duo were staying in Mumbai for the last few days. The Anti-Narcotics Cell was now tracking down the local peddlers to whom the accused supplied drugs, he said.
It has also launched a hunt for the main supplier from whom Meena and Khan procured the drug, said police official Datta Nalawade who led the operation along with senior inspector Rajendra Dahiphale and his team.
Since January this year, the Mumbai police has registered as many as 3,333 drug cases, arrested 3,575 persons and seized 3,813 kg of various banned narcotic substances, valued at Rs 86.50 crore, the official added.
Out of these cases, 88 were registered by the Anti-Narcotics Cell which arrested 129 persons and seized 2,569 kg of drugs valued at Rs 60.16 crore in illicit markets.