A 27-year-old businessman was arrested by Naroda police after 0.77 grams of suspected mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540, was found in a parcel being delivered through the Porter application near Nana Chiloda Circle in Ahmedabad, police said on Wednesday.

The case came to light after police received a control-room message about a suspicious parcel that had arrived for delivery through the application.

The substance was examined preliminarily by a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officer in the presence of panch witnesses and was found to be mephedrone, a synthetic drug.

Police seized the substance and initially registered an offence against three unidentified mobile phone holders under Sections 8(c), 22(a) and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

During the investigation, they traced and arrested the man suspected of ordering the consignment through the parcel.

The accused was identified as Priyang Sanghvi (27). He is a businessman who lives in Aram Park Flats in the Sabarmati area of the city. He is originally from Shirodi village in Rajasthan’s Sirohi district.

According to the police, the suspected method involved using a mobile phone number belonging to a witness to log in to the Porter application.

Drug consignments were allegedly packed separately in zipper bags and sent through the delivery service. An intermediary was allegedly used to distribute the drugs to different customers for sale.

The police said the arrest followed instructions from senior officers to curb the illegal sale and transportation of narcotic substances and detect offences related to them.

“The operation was conducted by Naroda police personnel under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector B M Katariya,” officials said.

The police seized 0.77 grams of mephedrone, valued at Rs 1,540. The investigation concerns the alleged use of a parcel delivery application to transport the substance and its subsequent distribution through an intermediary.

A 75-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death, while a woman and her 25-year-old son were injured in a violent clash between neighbours at Rohda Kala village under Barharia police station limits in Bihar’s Siwan district on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Rama Nandan Prasad, son of the late Garib Bhagat.

The injured were identified as Baby Devi, 44, and her son Kishan Kumar, 25.

The injured were taken to the Barharia Community Health Centre for treatment. While Kishan received primary medical care, Baby Devi was referred to Siwan Sadar Hospital due to her critical condition.

According to Kishan Kumar, his grandfather was sitting outside the house drinking tea while his mother was cooking, and he was asleep.

Hearing a commotion, he went outside and found his grandfather lying in a pool of blood.

He then heard his mother crying from inside the house and rushed in, where he allegedly saw neighbours attacking her with knives. When he tried to intervene, he was also injured in the attack.

Kishan claimed that he had no prior dispute with the neighbours and said the reason for the attack was unclear.

With the help of residents, two alleged assailants were apprehended and handed over to the police.

After receiving information, the Barharia police reached the village and launched an investigation.

A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was also called to collect evidence from the scene.

The police have set up a camp in the village amid tension following the incident.

Barharia Station House Officer Chhotan Kumar said a patrolling officer was initially sent to the spot, after which he reached the village to investigate the incident.

He said an FIR has been registered against the named accused based on Kishan Kumar’s statement.

The two detained suspects are being questioned, while the motive behind the incident remains unclear.

Police said further action would be taken based on the investigation.

The Anti Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of Delhi Police’s Central District has busted an inter-state car theft racket operating between Delhi-NCR and Punjab, arresting two alleged auto-lifters and recovering five stolen vehicles, including four SUVs, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Shamsher, 33, and Rinku alias Rinky, 39, were arrested in Jandiala Guru in Amritsar, Punjab, on October 16. Police said the recovery has helped solve five motor vehicle theft cases registered at different police stations in Delhi.

The investigation began after a white Hyundai Creta was reported stolen from outside a house in Old Rajinder Nagar. e-FIR 025056/26 under Section 303(2) was registered at Rajinder Nagar police station on October 14, following which the AATS team was assigned to investigate the case and identify those involved.

During the investigation, police used manual intelligence and technical surveillance to uncover the alleged involvement of a Punjab-based inter-state racket. According to police, the accused targeted well-maintained vehicles in Delhi-NCR, stole them during night hours, affixed fake registration number plates, and transported them to Punjab for disposal.

Acting on specific information, the police team conducted a raid in Jandiala Guru on October 16 and arrested Shamsher. A stolen car linked to a theft case registered at Begampur police station in Rohini was recovered from his possession.

During interrogation, Shamsher allegedly disclosed the involvement of his associate, Rinku alias Rinky, who was subsequently arrested in Amritsar on the same day. Police then recovered the car in the Rajinder Nagar case.

The five recovered vehicles comprise four SUVs stolen from the jurisdictions of Rajinder Nagar, Begampur, Janakpuri and Netaji Subhash Place police stations, and one reported stolen in the Rajouri Garden area.

Police said the accused allegedly disposed of the stolen vehicles in Punjab through a local contact identified as Harpreet alias Honey, a resident of Amritsar. Efforts are underway to apprehend him and identify other members of the racket, officials said.

The operation was led by Inspector Sandeep Dabas, in-charge of AATS, Central District, under the supervision of ACP (Operations) Padam Singh Rana. Further investigations are underway, the officials said.