Cop among five held with Rs 1-cr of drug

ASI of Dani Limda SHE team and a youth who contested 2017 assembly polls among 5 held for trying to sneak in almost 1kg mephedrone from Mumbai

A police officer who allegedly used his uniform to sneak in a banned drug and a youth who contested the 2017 assembly election were among the five persons caught by Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Saturday. Mephedrone, a synthetic stimulant drug, weighing 995 grams worth Rs 99,50,000 was seized from them on the Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway. Crime Branch Inspector A Y Baloch had received a tip-off that Shahzad Hussain Mazhar Hussain Tezabwala and Imran Ahmed Ajmeri were in Mumbai to buy MD (mephedrone) and three persons, including Mohammad Arif alias Munno, Imran Padhiyar and Firoze Nagori were on way to Ahmedabad. Mohammad Arif alias Munno (48) is resident of Tawakkal Flat in Hazarini Pol, near Jamalpur Darwaja. Firoze Mohammadkhan Nagori (50) is an ASI with Dani Limda police and also lives in Hazarini Pol. Imran Ibrahimbhai Padhiyar (28) is a resident of Bismillahnagar, near Bukharibava Dargah, Jamalpur crossroads.

The crime branch team of Police Inspector R S Savera along with Police Sub-Inspectors V G Gurjar, A P Jebalia, J D Barot and others intercepted a car coming from Vadodara Express Highway toll plaza towards Ahmedabad and arrested the three. Besides the mephedrone, police also seized the car, a police uniform, belt, cap, socks, shoes and a small handbag.

"ASI Firoze Nagori had carried the uniform to Mumbai. He works as part of Dani Limda SHE team and was on unauthorised leave. He is probably being used as a carrier. He had worn his uniform between Mumbai and Vadodara, so that the police or any other agency does not stop or check the car. He changed the uniform after reaching Vadodara and had hung it on a hanger in the car along with his name plate. MD was found beneath the seat," ACP B V Gohil said.

Gohil said the police questioned the three who were initially arrested and learnt that Shehzadhussain Tezabwala, who was out on bail and had gone to Hyderabad and was dealing in drugs from Mumbai. Tezabwala is a resident of Pinky Palace, near Mansuri Masjid and Dhalgarvad, Khamasa, Ahmedabad. Imran Ajmeri, who was also out on bail is a resident of S M Flat in Kadiawad, Jamalpur, was also at Mumbai and had contacted Tezabwala at a hotel in Mumbai.

Shezad and Imran had contacted a drug dealer in Mumbai and had bought about 1kg of mephedrone where the three travelling in the car were assigned the task of carrying the drug to Ahmedabad.

A crime branch team headed by PSI M H Shinol rushed to Mumbai when they learnt that Shehzad and Imran were there and with help from Mumbai police arrested the duo.

Both Shehzad and Imran were earlier arrested by the crime branch under NDPS Act with 1.469 kg of methamphetamine (MD) worth Rs 1,46,90,000. Both were out on interim bail and had jumped bail and had started dealing in drugs.

"We have arrested ASI Firoze Nagori for the first time and he is a friend of Imran Ajmeri who had introduced him to Shehzad. Ajmeri had asked Nagori to work for them. He was being used as a carrier, but we will be checking if he had a cut in sale of drugs as well. Besides, Shehzad Tezabwala's FB account shows him to be a police informer and a social worker. This was his front that he used to deal in drugs. A departmental inquiry is also being conducted against Nagori to find out how deep his involvement is. Tezabwala had filled in his form to contest the 2017 Assembly Election on a party ticket."

■ 6 kg of charas seized

SOG of Ahmedabad rural on Friday night seized 6.8 kg of charas (opium) worth around Rs 68,000 from a 33-year-old man’s house at Ramnagar village in Bavla. Intiyaz Khalifa was selling the opium to prospective drug addicts. The accused has been booked under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.