Gorakhpur, June 4: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) seized 406 kg of ‘ganja’ (contraband substance) in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur and arrested four accused who were taking the contraband to Deoria from Tezpur in Assam, an official said on Thursday.

The NCB Gorakhpur Zone, in coordination with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), achieved the breakthrough when they arrested two persons on Wednesday, a statement said.

Acting on specific intelligence, NCB Gorakhpur intercepted a pickup van on the Salempur–Lal Bazar Main Road in Deoria and seized 202 kg of ganja concealed in the vehicle, the statement added.

During the follow-up investigation, NCB teams conducted further operations in Barhaj town of Deoria, resulting in the recovery of an additional 204.8 kg of ganja and the arrest of two more accused, it said.

With two separate recoveries, the total seizure by the NCB and Uttar Pradesh STF totalled 406.8 kg of ganja, it added.

The four accused were charged with offences under the relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The NCB said that investigation was underway to identify and apprehend other persons involved in the trafficking network and to ascertain the forward and backward linkages of the contraband.

In a separate operation in Maharashtra earlier, the NCB arrested two drug traffickers and recovered 702 kg ganja while busting a major interstate trafficking network in Gondia, an official said.

“The 702 kg ganja was concealed in 100 packets among grocery cargo items, including detergent, toothpaste and hair dye, was recovered and seized,” the official said in a statement.

The seized contraband was sourced from Odisha and destined for multiple Maharashtra-based drug syndicates operating in Nagpur, Gondia, Pune and Mumbai.

In another case, the NCB secured jail terms in a Mumbai court for five drug traffickers, including the kingpin, in a synthetic drug trafficking case.

The convicts were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 15 years to one year, a statement added.

The Special NDPS Court in Thane sentenced the kingpin Mohammed Arif Yaqoob Bhujwala, a resident of Mumbai’s Chinchbunder, to 15 years’ imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 2 lakh, the NCB’s Mumbai Zonal Unit said.

“Parvez Khan alias “Chinku Pathan” and Mohammed Salman Khan, both residents of Chinchbunder, along with Vikrant Jain, a resident of Bhiwandi in Thane, were awarded five years’ imprisonment each and fined Rs 50,000 each,” the NCB added.

“Haris Faizullah Khan, resident of Bandra West in Mumbai, was sentenced to one-year imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 10,000,” it said.

The NCB investigation led to freezing of two movable and three immovable properties worth more than Rs 1.5 crore belonging to Parvez Khan alias Chinku Pathan.

Navi Mumbai: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested two Navi Mumbai-based men for allegedly supplying chemicals used in the manufacture of spurious liquor linked to the Pune hooch tragedy that claimed 22 lives in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The accused have been identified as Arun Jagdamba Chaube (59) and his son Abhishek Arun Chaube (24), both residents of Vashi in Navi Mumbai. The duo was apprehended by a CID special team following revelations during the ongoing investigation into the deadly liquor racket, as reported by Loksatta.

According to officials, cops found that the father-son duo had allegedly supplied hazardous chemicals used in the preparation of the toxic liquor consumed by the victims. After tracking their role in the supply chain, CID officers arrested them from Navi Mumbai and produced them before a magistrate’s court in Pimpri. The court remanded both accused to four days of police custody to facilitate further investigation into the source and distribution network of the chemicals.

The arrests come days after authorities detained the alleged kingpin of the racket, Yogesh Wankhede, along with several associates. Following the deaths of over 20 people, the Maharashtra government transferred the probe to the CID to uncover the full extent of the illicit liquor network.

Meanwhile, rattled by the scale of the tragedy, the Maharashtra State Excise Department has launched a statewide crackdown on illicit liquor manufacturing and distribution. State Excise Commissioner Rajesh Deshmukh said the department conducted 440 raids across Maharashtra over the past few days, leading to the arrest of 333 persons allegedly involved in the production and sale of illegal liquor.

During the operation, officials seized 1.61 lakh litres of chemicals used in manufacturing illicit liquor, 9,686 litres of spurious liquor and five vehicles. The total value of the seized material has been estimated at Rs 83.24 lakh.

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a 38-year-old man was allegedly attacked and stabbed to death in the Mankhurd area by three men.

the deceased, identified as Vilas Hiwale, was attacked after he reportedly shone a torch at a group of people sitting in the dark. The accused have been identified as Rajesh Londhe, Siddharth Londhe, and Sagar Kapsikar.

Vilas was taken to Sion Hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Mankhurd Police have registered a murder case and launched a search for the three accused, who are currently absconding. Police said the accused have a criminal history, and further investigation is underway. Currently, it is unclear whether shining a torch was the actual cause of the stabbing or whether an altercation that followed led to the death of the 38-year-old man.

Meanwhile, in another shocking incidents, the body of the four-year-old boy was discovered in an open drain in the Neelkamal Naka area. Though it was assumed to be a case of accidental drowning, during the initial spot assessment, the police noticed suspicious elements, prompting them to change the direction of their investigation. However, it was found that the toddler’s mother’s paramour murdered the child and threw his body into a drain to stage it as an accident.

In Mira Bhayandar, a boy was found murdered inside the lavatory of Shanti Shopping Centre in Mira Road, with the body reportedly discovered in a mutilated condition. According to information from media, the body was found inside the bathroom of the commercial complex, after which the police were alerted. In Powai, a four-year-old boy was allegedly killed by his father for repeatedly crying for milk. The Powai police arrested the accused, identified as Rajesh Singh (26), on charges of murder.