Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officials on Sunday arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly smuggling drugs worth Rs 12.68 crore sourced from Bangkok.

According to the Customs sources, on the basis of spot profiling, a passenger Noushad Olappulan, a resident of Kerala, was intercepted on Sunday after he arrived at the international airport in Mumbai from Bangkok.

The Customs officials then examined his bag and found it to be containing clothes and Upon removing the clothes, 12 packets containing green coloured dry leafy substance in lump form were found. The said material tested positive for the presence of narcotic drug purported to be hydroponic weed, a substance covered under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

The officials recovered and seized total 12688 grams of hydroponic weed valued at Rs 12.68 crore. In his statement, he admitted non-declaration, concealment, recovery and seizure of the narcotics substance that is fruiting and flowering-top of plant purported to be hydroponic weed having net weight 12688 grams from his bag.

“The accused stated that he was getting handsome amount of quick money for drugs. The investigations in the case are at a very preliminary stage and efforts are also being made to identify and apprehend key associates of the accused. We are probing who had supplied drugs to the accused in Bangkok and who was supposed to receive the same in Mumbai,” said a Customs official.

The DRI in its recent report had stated policy changes permitting the cultivation and sale of cannabis in Thailand have increased accessibility, creating new opportunities for traffickers. This has led to rising instances of hydroponic weed being smuggled into India through airports and courier routes. Most cases involved smuggling from Bangkok to various Indian airports, following a common modus operandi wherein carriers conceal weed in vacuum-sealed packets.

Mumbai: An FIR was filed against three hawkers after a video of them offering namaz at Malad railway station went viral online, the railway police said.

The RPF registered a case under Section 147 of the Railway Act for trespass, while the GRP filed another under BNS Section 168 following the station master’s complaint. After the video went viral, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had also demanded action.

Slamming the viral video, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had said that an FIR will be filed regarding all this. While speaking to news agency Media, “Openly, at Malad railway station in Mumbai, on top of the station platform, a small mandap-like structure has been made and namaz has started being offered there… An FIR will be filed regarding all this.”

Mumbai: Nearly four decades after a knife attack case was registered in Sakinaka, a sessions court has acquitted a 58-year-old Mumbai resident who had been accused of being part of the group involved in the assault. The court cited the absence of convincing evidence while clearing the accused.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit A. Laulkar acquitted Nasir Ibrahim Dadan of charges of attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt. The case had remained pending for nearly 37 years, during which several key witnesses either passed away or could not be traced.

The incident occurred on September 30, 1987, when a group of accused persons allegedly attacked Manor Naidu with a knife in Sakinaka. The group was also accused of assaulting two others, identified as Sayyed Amir and Shankar Tayde, leaving them seriously injured. Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) the following day and subsequently filed a chargesheet in 1988.

Despite this, the trial began only decades later. During the long pendency of the case, two of the accused died, while another remained absconding for several years before eventually being arrested. Charges in the matter were framed only in August 2025, and the trial commenced in February 2026.

In its judgment delivered on Friday, the court observed that the prosecution’s case had weakened significantly because it failed to produce crucial witnesses. During the trial, only one witness, police constable Amit Chowdhary, was examined, and his testimony did not support the prosecution’s version.

The court noted that Chowdhary’s evidence was largely based on hearsay. It emphasised that in a case involving allegations of attempted murder, the testimony of the injured victims and the complainant was essential, but the prosecution failed to secure their presence before the court.

The judge further pointed out that other important evidence had not been proved during the trial. Medical reports and forensic material were not formally exhibited, and the investigating officer was also not examined.

In view of these shortcomings, the court held that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

“Material ingredients of offence posed against the accused are not proved beyond all probable doubts… no offence can be legally sustained without any credible evidence against the accused.”

The court subsequently acquitted Dadan and cancelled his bail bonds. It also disposed of the case against the absconding accused, noting that there was “not much evidence” to justify continuing the proceedings.