Mumbai: In a major preventive action against repeat drug offenders, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 29-year-old drug trafficker under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, lodging him in Kolhapur Central Jail for one year.

The accused has been identified as Surajkumar Ramvilas Prajapati (29), a resident of Albert Compound, Vasari Hill, Shankar Nagar, near Rustamjee Tower, Goregaon (West).

While preventive detention of habitual offenders during election seasons is common to avoid threats to law and order, such detentions typically last only a few days and the individuals are released after polling.

However, in a rare and unprecedented move, the Mumbai Police have detained Prajapati for an entire year and shifted him to Kalamba Central Jail, Kolhapur.

The action was taken under the stringent PIT-NDPS Act, 1988, a provision invoked only in exceptional cases to isolate habitual offenders from society.

A senior Mumbai Police officer said a similar action under the PIT-NDPS Act was previously taken against Iqbal Memon alias Iqbal Mirchi, Dawood Ibrahim’s key drug handler. After Mirchi, this is considered the second major preventive detention under the Act in recent years.

According to police, Prajapati has seven ganja trafficking cases registered against him:

Four cases at Malad Police Station

One case at Goregaon Police Station

Two cases with the Kandivali Unit of the ANC

He was recently granted bail in the Kandivali Unit case, but investigations revealed he continued operating in narcotics trafficking despite multiple bail orders.

Given the ongoing threat posed by the accused and his repeated return to drug peddling, the ANC submitted a proposal to detain him under the PIT-NDPS Act to the Competent Authority Principal Secretary (Special), Home Department, Government of Maharashtra.
The proposal was approved, and an official detention order was issued.

Following the approval, Prajapati was taken into custody and on December 6, 2025, lodged in Kalamba Central Prison, Kolhapur, for preventive detention of one year.

Mumbai: After FIRs registered against the directors of The Roppen Transportation Services Pvt Ltd (Rapido) in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, the Amboli police have now filed a case against directors of Ola company for allegedly operating bike-taxi services illegally within Mumbai city without a licence or permission from the Maharashtra State Government or the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).

The case was registered on December 5 based on a complaint received from the Regional Transport Office (RTO). Media contacted both companies; however, the management of Ola and Rapido has not yet responded. The RTO took action against the two-wheelers of both companies between November 11 and December 3 in Andheri West.

Babu Teli, 36, a Motor Vehicle Inspector with the RTO, filed a complaint and the case was filed under Sections 318(3) (cheating) and 223 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 66, 93, 192(A), 193 and 197 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

According to the FIR, both Rapido and Ola have not received any permission from the government and were operating their vehicles via mobile applications, facilitating passenger transport without the requisite approvals and allegedly earning financial gains. The FIR further stated that both companies were risking passengers’ lives by conducting illegal transportation on two-wheelers. It also noted that the companies did not verify the drivers’ character certificates and failed to follow safety rules.

Thane, Dec 06: Thane City’s NDPS branch has achieved a major success. Under an on-ground operation, the police have exposed an active gang selling narcotic substances. In this action, the police have recovered approximately 02 kg 201 grams of hashish (charas), the market value of which is estimated to be one crore ten lakh sixty-five thousand rupees.

This operation was led by Senior Police Inspector Nitin Shinde. His team included officers and personnel from the crime branch, who carried out this action based on secret information.

Police had received information that some individuals were selling hashish and other intoxicating substances in the Mumbra area. Following this, the team laid a trap, cordoned off, and caught the suspect in the Bandewadi area. A large quantity of hashish was recovered from his possession upon search.

The suspected accused has been identified as Moin Khan, alias Hasrat Ali Siddiqui. Preliminary interrogation revealed that he used to illegally procure hashish from Jammu and Kashmir and sell it in Thane, Mumbai, and surrounding areas. The accused already has several serious crimes registered against him.

In this regard, Mumbra Police has registered a case under NDPS Act 20(a)(i)(b), 29, and further investigation is underway. The police are also trying to find out who else is involved in this network and how far this hashish supply chain extends.