Two police constables, customs official among 10 arrested for involvement; according to the Navi Mumbai police, a total of 10 individuals have been arrested, including two police constables and one customs official, with contraband and other assets seized amounting to Rs 73 lakh
Navi Mumbai cops escorting one of the arrested accused
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Navi Mumbai police arrested two officers attached to the Navi Mumbai police for their involvement in a drug syndicate. According to the Navi Mumbai police, a total of 10 individuals have been arrested, including two police constables and one customs official, with contraband and other assets seized amounting to Rs 73 lakh.
Acting on a tip-off on April 14, the Navi Mumbai police arrested Ashish Gavre, 22, and Ahmed Aalgi, 23, after they were found to be in possession of 17.19 grams of hydroponically grown high-grade cannabis (ganja) worth Rs 2.76 lakh. “An FIR was registered in Nerul police station, and our continued investigation led to the arrest of 10 individuals, including our own officers and a customs official. We have zero tolerance against drugs,” said DCP (Crime) Amit Kale.
According to the police, Gavre and Aalgi were involved in supplying ganja, hydroponic ganja and heroin. “Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of Sujit Bangera, 28,” said an officer. Bangera would source the contraband and supply it to the duo. “Bangera would order drugs from America or Thailand, and then with the help of customs official Prashant Gaur, the parcel would get cleared at the airport and enter the city.”
The police also arrested Kamal Chandwani, 56, who would collect the parcel and hand it over to Bangera. “Chadwani, who has a criminal background, had forged documents and would produce a fake ID card to collect the parcel. We are investigating this,” the officer added.
The two police constables arrested—Sachin Bhalerao attached to Kharghar police station, and Sanjay Phulkhar attached to the Anti-Narcotics Unit—had allegedly promised to help Chandwani and prevent his arrest. “They received R6 lakh each to prevent his arrest. They are in custody and we will interrogate them for more details,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, Ankit Patel, 37, and Rinkudkumar Patel, 39, were arrested for converting cryptocurrency stablecoins from ‘Tether’ (USDT) to cash, which they supplied to the arrested individuals. “USDT is a platform where cryptocurrency stablecoins pegged against the US dollar for stability can be converted into regular currency,” the officer explained.
“We suspect that the Chickhar brothers who are settled abroad are behind this syndicate. The investigation is at its primary stage. We will investigate further,” the officer said. The police have seized ganja, hydroponic ganja, cocaine collectively valued at R16.43 lakh, cars worth R7 lakh, other assets worth R14.12 lakh, along with other items, taking the total value of the seizure to Rs 73 lakh.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
