Mumbai: A huge cache of cocaine has been seized in the country’s financial capital Navi Mumbai. The Narcotics Control Bureau team acted on a tip-off. 349 kg of cocaine was seized. The estimated market value of the cocaine seized by the NCB is Rs 1775 crore. Where did such a huge cache of drugs come from? Who brought it? Where was it going? This is the subject of investigation. The NCB team is also shocked by the seizure of such a huge cache of cocaine. The NCB has claimed to have exposed an international drug racket with the seizure of cocaine. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has congratulated the NCB for this operation.

Amit Shah has posted about this success of the NCB on X. He has expressed his determination to continue strict action against drug trafficking. He wrote on X that the NCB carried out a major operation in Navi Mumbai. 349 kg of high-grade cocaine was seized, the international market value of which is Rs 1745 crore. The operation is an example of the agency’s bottom-up approach. He said the government is committed to rooting out drug peddlers.

Arrested from Padmavati Royals Society

Earlier, the Mumbai Police had arrested a former bar dancer in a major operation against drug trafficking. The police seized 5,000 MDMA (ecstasy) tablets from the accused, worth about Rs 6 crore. The arrested woman has been identified as Ashwini Pal. The accused woman is based in Pune. She could be a key link in a major drug racket spread across Mumbai and Maharashtra. The police arrested Ashwini from Padmavati Royals Society in Tatwala. During the raid, the police seized five mobile phones and eight SIM cards. Initial investigations have revealed that Ashwini entered the drug business after her husband went to jail.

200 tablets were recovered from her
According to the information given by the police, Ashwini came to Mumbai in 2012 and started working in a dance bar. Over time, she started supplying drugs at parties. Gradually, her network spread to other cities in Maharashtra including Mumbai, especially college-going kids were on her radar. She used to charge Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 for a pill. In this case, the police had arrested two accused, Irfan Ansari and Sufyan, from Sakinaka area. 200 pills were recovered from them. Based on the information given by them, the police
International drug racket busted in Navi Mumbai, NCB seizes Rs 1,745 crore.

As per the directions of the Union Home Minister to break the financial backbone of Mumbai drug smugglers, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has achieved a major breakthrough. The competent authority and administrator in Mumbai under SAFEMA and NDPS Act have confirmed the freezing/attachment of several properties. These properties include 5 bank accounts, 1 immovable property, cash, jewellery, and 2 vehicles, totaling Rs 3,78,24,124. These properties belong to Danish M and his key accomplice, Hina S, an accused in a major drug smuggling case. The case pertains to the seizure of 502 grams of Mephedrone from a carrier named Nitin Ji in Pune on November 18, 2025. Subsequent operations led to the recovery of 839 grams of Mephedrone from the house of Hina S, and his accomplice, M.Z. Sheikh, was also arrested in September 2025. Danish M and Hina S later changed locations and absconded. However, based on close surveillance and intelligence, he was identified at a resort in Goa, from where he was arrested in October 2025. Furthermore, another key associate Sheikh alias Danish Pappi, who was working as a drug distributor in Byculla, Dongri and Nagpada, was arrested on 25 April 2026 while entering Mumbai. The NCB is committed to completely dismantle the drug trafficking network through seizures, arrests, financial investigations and legal action under a comprehensive, 360-degree investigative strategy. Further investigation of the case is underway, and other financial links are also being probed. This action reflects the full commitment of the NCB to dismantle drug trafficking networks and seize their illicit assets. NCB is dedicated to creating awareness along with strict law enforcement in line with the vision of the Government of India of a “Drug-Free India”. NCB has appealed to the citizens to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking. Anyone can share information related to drug trafficking on MANAS – National Narcotics Helpline (Toll-Free No.: 1933). The identity of the informant will be kept confidential.

Pimpri-Chinchwad: Heavy traffic congestion brought vehicular movement to a near standstill on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway on Friday morning, with long queues reported on the Khandala Ghat stretch and in the Lonavala area. Commuters remained stuck for hours, raising fresh concerns over recurring bottlenecks on one of Maharashtra’s busiest highways.

The traffic jam occurred on the day when the much-anticipated Mumbai-Pune Missing Link project was set to be inaugurated. The project is expected to reduce travel time and ease congestion in the Ghat section. However, the situation on the ground told a different story, as vehicles remained stranded even before the formal opening.

Several travellers reported delays of over two hours. Commuters reported that traffic was heavy in both lanes towards Lonavala. After the Lonavala area and the ghat were passed, the traffic congestion situation was better. Visuals from the scene showed long lines of vehicles stretching across the hillside, with no clear signs of traffic easing.

Among those caught in the jam was Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, who was travelling from Mumbai to Pune. She recorded a video from her car showing the extent of the congestion. In the footage, vehicles can be seen lined up across lanes with little to no movement.

Speaking about the situation, Sule said that people, including children and senior citizens, had been stuck for hours. She noted that from her vantage point in the Ghat, not a single vehicle appeared to be moving. She added that while the view might look scenic, it was causing serious inconvenience to commuters.

Sule said it was unclear whether the inauguration event of the Missing Link project had contributed to the traffic jam. She pointed out that congestion in the Ghat is a daily issue, but the scale of the delay on Friday was severe, with people stranded for nearly two hours without movement.

She also highlighted that such delays have become routine for travellers on this route. According to her, the time taken to cross the Ghat varies widely, sometimes taking just 20 minutes and at other times extending to two hours or more.

Sule urged the government and police authorities to take immediate steps to manage the situation. She called for better traffic control and deployment of additional personnel if needed. She stressed that the issue affects thousands of daily commuters and requires a long-term solution.

Authorities are yet to officially confirm the exact cause of the congestion. However, netizens on social media have claimed that as this is a long weekend due to Labour Day, many people are going to Lonavala and Khandala for a trip. Meanwhile, commuters continue to face delays, underlining the urgent need for effective traffic management on the expressway, especially during peak travel periods.