Police have arrested a 26-year-old man who had been evading arrest for over three years by living under a false identity and frequently changing his location, an official said on Sunday.
The accused, Salman Anwar Sheikh, a resident of Geeta Nagar in the Mira Road area of Thane district, was wanted in connection with a narcotics case registered on July 10, 2022. Since then, he had been absconding, said Senior Police Inspector Rahul Rakh, according to the news agency PTI.
Officials said Sheikh managed to remain undetected by adopting a fake identity and relocating regularly to avoid capture. His arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the ongoing crackdown on drug-related offences in the region.
“While the case was nearing conclusion in the trial court, Sheikh went missing and began to evade arrest. He was shuttling between Mira Road, Bhayander (in Thane) and Vasai (in neighbouring Palghar district), concealing his identity and doing low-profile jobs to avoid detection,” he said, reported news agency PTI.
He worked as a delivery boy and changed his mobile numbers frequently, the official said.
The police had received a tip that Sheikh was working as a delivery boy.
“Based on this, our team launched a two-month-long undercover investigation, keeping a watch on his possible hideouts and movement patterns. Finally, we intercepted and arrested him at Cabin Road, Bhayander, on September 12,” Rakh said, reported PTI.
Even as Sheikh was hiding, the court continued proceedings against the other accused.
On September 11, the court convicted three co-accused in the case. Two were sentenced to five years` rigorous imprisonment with fines of Rs 50,000 each, while a third was given 10 years` RI and a fine of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on him, the police said.
Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seizes narcotics worth around Rs 26 cr, arrests 10 persons including mastermind
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Kolkata Zonal Unit, in its fight against illegal drug trafficking, conducted a multi-pronged operation on September 12.
In the early hours of the day, the officers of DRI conducted searches simultaneously at 3 different locations – one in NSCBI Airport, and two residential premises in Bijoygarh locality of Jadavpur.
According to an official release, in the residential location belonging to the mastermind, Hydroponic Weed, Cannabis and Cocaine of substantial quantity were found.
In the second residential location, which was rented and operated by the mastermind, a huge quantity of Cannabis was found in a `packed and ready-to-distribute` manner. Four associates of the mastermind, who were employed for the purpose of sale and local distribution of such narcotics in Kolkata, were apprehended at this location.
The officials also seized cash in the said locations, which was the proceeds of the sale of narcotic substances. On the same day, another member of the syndicate, who is involved in arranging suppliers abroad, was also apprehended.
(With PTI inputs)
