Ahmedabad, April 12 (IANS) Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested two men after they were found in possession of a banned narcotic substance during a raid in the Behrampura area in Gujarat, officials said on Sunday.
Acting on specific intelligence, officers conducted a raid in an open ground near Santoshnagar Four Buildings, opposite the wall of a private company, and apprehended Hasmukh Sargara (27) and Manish Sargara (26).
Police said the accused were found in illegal possession of 52.410 grams of mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,57,230, without any permit.
Officials stated that a case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act at the DCB police station against the two accused, as well as the supplier of the contraband, and further legal action is underway.
During the operation, police seized the narcotic substance along with other items, including three mobile phones worth Rs 15,000, cash amounting to Rs 6,000, a Honda Activa scooter, a pocket weighing scale, and multiple empty zipper bags.
The total value of the seized property was estimated at Rs 1,98,920, according to the press note.
Investigators said both accused are residents of Santoshnagar in Behrampura and originally hail from Barmer district in Rajasthan.
The seizure is part of a broader crackdown on narcotics in Gujarat in recent months.
In a significant operation earlier this month, the Gujarat and Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squads jointly intercepted around five kg of methamphetamine valued at Rs 25 crore, allegedly smuggled from across the border, and arrested two individuals linked to a wider trafficking network.
In another case, the Gujarat ATS uncovered an inter-state supply chain after tracing a small seizure in Ahmedabad to a clandestine manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh, where large quantities of mephedrone and precursor chemicals were recovered.
Earlier incidents in Ahmedabad have also highlighted the scale of the issue. Police seized nearly 96 grams of mephedrone worth about Rs 9.67 lakh from a residence in Juhapura, while a separate operation led to the arrest of a 21-year-old with around 94 grams of the drug valued at Rs 9.5 lakh.
Officials said investigations in the latest case are continuing to identify the source and wider distribution network.
–IANS
mys/uk