INDIA: Mumbai: Ali Asghar Parvez Shirazi, a close associate of Kailash Rajput, a prominent drug kingpin and major supplier in the Indian drug racket, was apprehended by the Mumbai Police’s crime branch on Monday night. The arrest was made in connection with the smuggling of ketamine, valued at over Rs 8 crore, from Mumbai Airport.
Upon reaching the immigration hall, Shirazi was promptly reported to the police by an immigration officer who had noticed the lookout circular issued against him. Shirazi was subsequently presented before the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate, who ordered his remand in police custody until the first of June.
Shirazi stands accused of smuggling ketamine to Australia and Britain by concealing it within air cargo. The police had previously issued a lookout circular against him and had pursued him in Srinagar (Kashmir) and Delhi. However, he managed to evade arrest on those occasions. Ultimately, he was apprehended in Mumbai while attempting to flee to Dubai, according to police officials.
Shirazi currently faces six cases registered by the police, in addition to cases filed by other agencies, including Mumbai Airport Customs, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985.
It is alleged that Rajput and Shirazi were involved in drug smuggling on more than 70 occasions between October 2022 and March of this year. So far, the police have detained eight individuals, including Shirazi, while Rajput remains at large.
Three lookout circulars have been issued for the accused, including Rajput. Numerous cases have been filed against him across the country. As a result, the police are compiling data on the various gangs operating in different states.
During a raid conducted on March 15 by the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Police in Andheri, North West Mumbai, a seizure of 15.740 kg of ketamine, valued at Rs 7.87 crore, and over 23,000 strips of Viagra tablets, worth Rs 58 lakh, was made. Initially, two individuals were apprehended during the raid, with an additional five individuals arrested subsequently.
According to the police, the drugs are manufactured in various countries and transported to Mumbai, from where they are distributed to different destinations. The gang is accused of regularly dispatching drugs to Australia, New Zealand, the USA, and Dubai.
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