Mumbai/Chandigarh: The Navi Mumbai police's crime branch has seized heroin valued at Rs 362.59 crore in the international market from an unclaimed shipping container, said Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Bipin Kumar Singh at a media briefing.
The container, which had arrived at the Nhava Sheva port from Dubai, was lying at a yard in Panvel town of adjoining Raigad district off the old Mumbai-Pune Highway. Initially, it was suspected that the confiscated substance was morphine, but later it turned out to be heroin, a senior official clarified.
At least 168 packets stuffed with the drug and weighing 72.518 kg were found concealed in the door of the container. Acting on a specific intelligence, the crime branch on Thursday conducted a search operation at the premises of a private logistics company at Ajvali village in Panvel, where the container was lying unclaimed, the official said.
Inputs about possible movement of a drugs consignment were also received from the Punjab police, the official said. The consignment had landed at the Nhava Sheva port from Dubai and it was bound for Punjab via Mumbai, he said. An inspection of the container led to the recovery of marble and floor tiles, the official added.
Also read: ATS seizes heroin worth over Rs 350 cr near Mundra port
"Marble and floor tiles were for a consignee in Delhi, while the contraband was suspected to be headed for Punjab, he said. Some deformity was observed in the metal door frame of the container, which led to suspicion that contraband may be hidden in the cavity," Singh said.
"The metal door frame and other frames were cut open with equipment and the drug was recovered, he said. An examination of contents of the packets by a Forensic Science Lab team and NDPS detection kit of the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) led to the recovery of heroin weighing 72.518 kg and valued at Rs 362.59 crore in the international market," Singh said.
The heroin was seized and an FIR registered at the Panvel Taluka police station under relevant sections of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act) against the exporter, consignee, shipper and other unknown persons, who facilitated the export and import of the banned substance, police said. This was one of the major drug hauls in Navi Mumbai in recent times and comes after multiple seizures of contraband at Gujarat's Mundra port.
'Joint-exercise'
Punjab Police on Friday said the seizure was part of a joint operation with the state's police. In a statement, Punjab Police said 148 kg of heroin had been seized by it in the last one week in joint inter-state operations with the help of central agencies.
In a video message, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said, “Continuing our fight against drugs, Punjab Police have achieved another major success today. In a joint operation with Maharashtra Oolice, 73 kg heroin has been recovered in Nhava Sheva port.” He said a team of the State Special Operation Cell of Punjab Police went to Maharashtra.
"With the full cooperation of central agencies and Maharashtra Police, 73 kg heroin was recovered. The operation is going on. Forward and backward linkages in the case are being explored," Yadav said. The DGP said after concealing the contraband, the accused persons had meticulously welded the door border and repainted it. Following due procedure and documentation by the Maharashtra Police, the container was opened up which led to the recovery of a big haul of 73 kg of heroin, he said.
The seizure of this big haul was made by the Punjab Police in less than 72 hours after recovering 75 kilograms of heroin from a container at Mundra Port in Gujarat in a joint operation with the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad on Tuesday.
