Mumbai: The city crime branch, in a major covert operation late on Thursday night, raided the area near the railway tracks below the Wadi Bunder flyover and arrested two Nigerians with 40gm cocaine.
The police said the cocaine seized from Infunanya Minke, 37, and Ique Emaniyal, 24, was worth Rs 5 lakh. They also seized small electronic weighing machines, Rs 45,000 and seven mobiles from the two, which they hope will help them track down other gang members and those buying drugs from them.
Five policemen suffered minor injuries after around 20 Nigerians peddling drugs pelted them with stones. The drama near the tracks between Masjid Bunder and Pydhonie went on till 5am on Friday. "We and even police commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar had been receiving information that the drug peddlers had become a menace in the vicinity. We decided to come down heavily on the peddlers." said Atul Kulkarni, joint commissioner of police (crime).
He said the crime branch formed a team of around 60 policemen from various units and carried out the surprise raid.
The police did not take the help of special units of the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) and government railway police (GRP), under whose jurisdiction the raid was carried out on Thursday night.
"When our team surrounded the gang, an accused jumped from the 30-foot high bridge and ran along the tracks. The others started pelting stones but the police party fired three rounds in the air to scare them off," said Dhananjay Kulkarni, deputy commissioner of police. Police inspector Santosh Bagwe and three constables suffered minor injuries. The police team comprised of Bagwe, Ajay Sawant, Dhiraj Koli and Sachin Kadam.
The police said some of the Nigerians ran along the tracks up to Byculla, from where they disappeared under the cover of darkness.
The gang would sit in an abandoned BPT building near the tracks and then climb up to sell their contraband on the Pydhonie flyover. Most clients would come on bikes. The police said that the GRP and local police had tried to carry out raids but did not get "strong approval" from seniors.
The accused have allegedly been carrying out the business for around six years. Kulkarni said they would coordinate with the railways, increase patrolling and conduct surprise raids.



http://m.timesofindia.com/city/mumbai/Two-Nigerians-held-with-coke-in-crackdown-on-peddlers/articleshow/52046621.cms


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