Mumbai: The Anti-Narcotics Cell (Worli Unit) seized 45 ecstasy pills worth Rs 2.21 crore. The ANC booked on April 17 Eze Ezekiel Njoku, 39, a Nazeriam citizen for allegedly possessed drugs. 

The police said the Anti-Narcotics Cell’s Worli Unit, a police team was patrolling the Western Regional Division on the evening of April 16 on the instructions of senior officers. At around 11:15 pm, near the rear side of the ‘Sea Sand’ building on Shirley Rajan Road in Khar West, they noticed a foreign national behaving suspiciously. On seeing the police vehicle, he attempted to flee but was chased, intercepted, and detained.

During interrogation, the accused identified himself as Ije Ezekiel Njoku. He admitted that he was carrying cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) pills in a blue side-pouch bag, which he intended to sell. A search conducted in the presence of independent witnesses led to the seizure of 213 grams of cocaine and 45 MDMA (ecstasy) pills weighing 24 grams.

The seized cocaine is estimated to be worth ₹2.14 crore, while the ecstasy pills are valued at ₹7.20 lakh, taking the total value of the contraband to ₹2.21 crore.

Police also recovered a Nigerian passport, visa, ₹400 in cash, and an iPhone from the accused. He is a resident of Nalasopara (East). All procedures under the NDPS Act were followed during the operation. A case has been registered at Khar Police Station, and further investigation is underway.

Mumbai: Commuters faced major disruption on the Central Railway on Sunday as it carried out a mega block between Thane and Dombivli for platform extension work. As the block did not halt at Kopar and Thakurli stations, visuals showed commuters walking along the railway tracks to reach their destinations, risking their lives.

Visuals shared by media showed a huge crowd of frustrated passengers walking on the tracks. According to the report, for passengers’ safety, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Railway Police have been deployed in the area.

Central Railway has announced a special power block on the Thane–Dombivli section on the Up and Down local lines from midnight to 10:00 am between April 18 and 19. During this block, trains will not halt at Kopar and Thakurli stations, affecting passengers travelling through this stretch.

Meanwhile, this came just a week after the local train services on Western Railway were disrupted for nearly five hours after an overhead equipment (OHE) breakdown occurred on the down-through line between Bhayandar and Naigaon. The incident delayed suburban train services on both fast and slow lines, stranding thousands of daily commuters during peak hours. Passengers were fumed as trains were running 40-45 minutes late. Videos circulating online showed several commuters walking along railway tracks after being stranded in a halted train.

Mumbai: In a major breakthrough, Mumbai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell arrested a Nigerian national in Khar and seized cocaine worth crores along with a large quantity of MDMA tablets during a raid linked to the NESCO drugs party case. The case pertains to the drug case linked to the deaths of two youths at a concert in the NESCO Centre.

The arrest comes amid an ongoing crackdown on a suspected drug supply network operating around high-profile music events in Mumbai. Yesterday, the police also arrested the main accused from Poladpur in Raigad district while he was allegedly attempting to flee towards Goa. According to officials, the accused is suspected of distributing Ecstasy (MDMA) at the concert held on April 11, where two attendees died due to suspected drug overdose. He was intercepted and later handed over to the Vanrai Police for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the others who were arrested in the case were presented before the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Borivali on April 18. The court remanded three accused, Anand Patel, Vineet Gerelani, and Ayush Sahitya, to police custody till April 20, while the other accused were sent to judicial custody. The court granted 14 days’ judicial custody to student Raunak Khandelwal, event organiser Akash Samal, NESCO staff members Sunny Jain and Balkrishnan Kurup, and student Pratik Pandey.

The case began after Shreya Rai (24) and Bismaad Bhasin (28) died of an MDMA overdose. Another attendee, Seetal Salvi (25) remains under observation at Bombay Hospital.

In the investigation, the police noted that the suspects were regular attendees at NESCO Centre events, suggesting a larger network operating at such gatherings. While the concert was permitted only until 10pm, it reportedly continued until 12.30am. Alcohol was also allegedly served to individuals under the age of 25, including the deceased Rai, which is illegal. The victims are suspected to have consumed a lethal combination of both drugs and alcohol.