Baramati, Correspondent
In a well-coordinated operation, the Baramati Taluka Police have arrested a key accused who had been absconding in a ₹50-lakh MD (mephedrone) drug case registered at Tulinj Police Station under the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate.
According to Police Inspector Chandrashekhar Yadav, a case was filed on September 14 under the NDPS Act, 1985, and other relevant sections against five suspects — Shahbaz Hameed Shaikh, Yogesh Raju Rathod, Jafar Asif Shaikh, Babu Shaikh, and Sameer Shaikh. Among them, Sameer alias Noor Mohammad Aslam Shaikh (20), a resident of Vasai, had been on the run since the case was registered.
Officials from the Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar Police recently shared intelligence indicating that the accused was hiding in the Baramati area. Acting on this tip, a special team from Baramati Police launched a search operation. The team learned that the accused was employed at a clothing store named “Brand River” in Baramati city.
Following a carefully planned surveillance operation, the police team identified Shaikh, and without delay, apprehended him. During interrogation, he confessed to being wanted in the Tulinj drug trafficking case. He was subsequently handed over to the Mira-Bhayandar Police for further investigation.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, Additional SP Ganesh Birajdar, and SDPO Sudarshan Rathod. The arrest team comprised PI Chandrashekhar Yadav, API Vikram Pawar, Assistant Sub-Inspectors Surendra Wagh and Suresh Bade, along with police personnel Nilesh Wakle and Rahul Landge.
The accused has been transferred to Tulinj Police Station, where PSI Rakh, Constable Kamble, and Constable Sonawane have taken custody for further proceedings.
Police sources said the arrest is a significant breakthrough in the case, which had led to the seizure of MD drugs worth ₹50 lakh earlier this year.
000
