On New Year Eve, drugs, pistols seized in Maharashtra

Mumbai   :  As Mumbai got into the New Year Eve celebrations, the Maharashtra Police effected seizures of drugs and arms from Mumbai and Amravati, officials said here on Monday.

In a major swoop, the Thane Police arrested two arms dealers in Amravati who were planning to come to Mumbai and sell some locally manufactured pistols.

A team of Thane Police lay in wait for some suspects at the Hotel Sheetal Lodging and Pancham Restaurant where the transaction was expected to take place on Sunday.

They managed to catch red-handed two persons, Shoaib Issak Sheikh, 21, who is unemployed, and a carpenter, Rahim Habib Sheikh, 32, at the hotel.

Police also seized a bag containing 10 locally manufactured steel pistols and 40 live cartridges and mobile phones from them besides other stuff totally valued at over Rs 300,000.

They were produced before a court and remanded to police custody till January 7 and further probe is underway to trace the destination of the guns in Mumbai.

The Amboli Police in suburban Mumbai nabbed two drug dealers and seized Ephedrine, a banned drug used for improving performance and weight control, worth over Rs 3 crore from them on Monday.

Following a tip-off, a team led by inspector Daya Nayak lay in wait at Agrawal Estate. At around 2.30 a.m., he nabbed the two - M. Ismail Gulamhusein, 45, and Dayanand Manik Muddanar, 32 - who had come from Hyderabad for the deal.

The 20.3 kg of Ephedrine seized was intended for sale during New Year celebrations, said the police.