New Delhi, Sep 26: The Special Staff of Central District Police, under Operation Kavach, has arrested a 36-year-old man for possessing and selling prohibited medicines illegally from a medical store near Turkman Gate.

The accused has been identified as Afsan, a resident of Chandni Mahal, Delhi. Police said 14 bottles of codeine syrup, 55 tablets of Alprazolam (Alzomac) and 43 capsules of Spasmed were recovered from his possession.

According to police, the action followed secret information received by the Special Staff on September 25 regarding the illegal possession and sale of prohibited medicines at a medical store near Turkman Gate.

Acting on the information, a dedicated police team conducted a decoy operation at Al Madina Medicos, Shop No. 2293, near Two Bhai Hotel, Turkman Gate. A decoy customer was sent to the shop to purchase codeine syrup.

The suspect sold one bottle of codeine syrup to the decoy customer without asking for a valid doctor’s prescription. Following the pre-decided signal from the decoy customer, the police team raided and searched the premises.

During the search, the prohibited medicines were recovered from the accused. A Drug Inspector was called to the spot, and the recovered medicines were seized as per the prescribed procedure.

Police said the Special Staff team had been tasked with developing Intelligence and taking strict action against persons involved in the illegal sale and distribution of narcotic or prohibited substances as part of efforts to curb organised crime.

The team comprised SI Naresh, HC Mohit, HC Munesh, HC Vikas, HC Inderjeet, Constables Ajay and Lokesh, and ASI Dev Kishan. The team worked under the supervision of the In-charge, Special Staff, Central District, and the overall supervision of ACP/Operations, Central District, Padam Singh Rana.

Police said secret informers had been deployed in the area to gather information about the illegal sale of prohibited medicines. The specific information subsequently led to the decoy operation and arrest of the accused.

Afsan was taken on one-day police custody remand for further investigation. During interrogation, he was questioned about the source, procurement and distribution of the prohibited medicines.

A case has been registered under FIR No. 463/2026 under Sections 22/25 of the NDPS Act at Chandni Mahal Police Station, dated September 25.

Police said the accused has no previous criminal involvement. Efforts are underway to identify other persons involved in the supply chain and to trace the source of the recovered medicines.

Further investigation is in progress to identify and apprehend other accused persons and dismantle the network involved in the illegal sale and distribution of prohibited medicines.

Mumbai, Sep 25: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai Zonal Unit, has seized 9.40 kg of foreign-origin gold valued at about Rs 14.81 crore and arrested three Indian passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

The interception took place in the early hours of Wednesday (September 23) based on specific intelligence, with operational assistance from the Air Intelligence Unit of Mumbai Airport Customs. The three passengers, who had arrived from Dubai, were found carrying a sophisticated concealment of gold.

A detailed examination of their baggage revealed that foreign-origin gold had been converted into fine powder and meticulously mixed with packaged food products of similar colour, texture, and consistency. This method was designed to evade routine detection.

The gold powder was concealed across several ordinary-looking food packets, including milk powder, oats, various flours, Nutella and coconut milk powder. In total, about 33.50 kg of food products mixed with gold powder were recovered from the baggage of the three travellers.

Through careful segregation and assaying, DRI officers recovered 9.40 kg of pure foreign-origin gold. The seized gold has been valued at around Rs 14.81 crore. The consignment was seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962.

During questioning, all three passengers admitted that they were acting on behalf of the same organised gold-smuggling syndicate. Customs arrested them under the Customs Act, 1962.

Officials described the modus operandi as novel and highly sophisticated. By blending powdered gold with everyday food items that closely matched its appearance and texture, the smugglers attempted to bypass standard security and customs checks.

The DRI said the operation highlights the evolving tactics used by international gold-smuggling networks and the agency’s continued efforts to dismantle such syndicates. The case forms part of the DRI’s sustained crackdown on gold smuggling through Indian airports.

Further investigations are under way to identify other members of the syndicate and trace the larger network behind the operation.

Ahmedabad, Sep 25: A Ugandan national was arrested at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) after the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 981 grams of cocaine allegedly concealed inside the telescopic handle and plastic support parts of his trolley bag, officials said on Friday.

Acting on specific intelligence developed by the DRI’s Ahmedabad Zonal Unit, officers intercepted the passenger after he arrived at SVPIA on Qatar Airways flight QR-534 on September 24.

The passenger had allegedly arrived with narcotic substances concealed in his baggage.

According to the DRI, the passenger initially denied carrying any contraband.

A detailed examination of his trolley bag, however, led officers to detect white powdery substances packed in polythene bags and “cleverly” concealed inside the bag’s telescopic handle and plastic support components.

The recovered substance weighed 981 grams and tested positive for cocaine, following which it was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The passenger was arrested under the Act.

Further investigation is underway to establish the source of the cocaine, its intended destination and the wider network, if any, involved in the alleged smuggling attempt.

The seizure comes days after the DRI reported a series of intelligence-led operations across the country in which more than 845 kg of narcotic and psychotropic substances were seized and 15 people arrested.

Among the cases was the seizure of around 5.8 kg of cocaine from an Indian passenger arriving at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from Dubai via Doha on September 15. The cocaine was found in nine packets inside his checked-in baggage.

In another recent case, the DRI seized 2.659 kg of cocaine worth an estimated Rs 13.295 crore in two separate operations at Mumbai airport in May.

One passenger arriving from Addis Ababa was found carrying 1.575 kg of liquid cocaine in eight pouches, while an African male passenger was found to have ingested capsules containing 1.084 kg of cocaine. Both were arrested under the NDPS Act.