Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officers on Sunday arrested three women — Shabana Begum Shaukat Ali, Tarannum Jahan Shahabuddin Khan, and Sharifa Haidar Mulla for allegedly smuggling marijuana valued at Rs 6.46 crore. The trio had arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) from Bangkok on the same PNR when officers intercepted them following specific intelligence inputs about potential contraband.

Customs officials recovered a total of 6,464 grams of greenish substances, purportedly marijuana (ganja), concealed in lumps. The seized narcotic comes under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which imposes stringent penalties for illegal possession, transport, and smuggling.

During questioning, the women admitted that they were aware of the severe punishment for smuggling drugs into India. Shabana Begum revealed that she was offered Rs 15,000 by a friend to bring marijuana from Bangkok. Tarannum Jahan and Sharifa Haidar agreed to the same arrangement for a similar payment.

The Customs officer stated that preliminary investigations indicate the involvement of additional individuals who remain unidentified. Authorities are working to trace and apprehend the key members of the drug cartel behind this smuggling operation.

The arrested women were produced before the court on Sunday, with public prosecutor Nazia Shaikh representing the Customs department. Further legal proceedings are ongoing as investigations continue.

Ahmedabad, Oct 25: Police raided a rave party in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, leading to the detention of 15 people who were consuming alcohol in the dry state.

The Bopal Police acted after receiving a tip-off about the party at Zephyr Farmhouse near Shilaj, where both liquor and drugs were reportedly being used.

Upon reaching the venue, police found 15 individuals, including 13 foreign nationals from Nigeria, Mozambique, Kenya, and other African countries, alongside two Indians, intoxicated.

Investigations revealed that the organisers had printed special passes for the party, advertising “unlimited alcohol”, showing the scale and planning behind the event.

All 15 attendees have been detained, a case has been registered, and further inquiries are underway to identify the main organisers, the farmhouse owner, and the source of the liquor in a state where alcohol is banned.

Gujarat has maintained a strict prohibition on alcohol since 1960 under the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949, which bans the sale, consumption, and manufacture of liquor across the state.

The law applies to all forms of alcoholic beverages, including Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), country-made liquor, and spirits. Exceptions exist only for medicinal, industrial, and export purposes, subject to government permission. Violations of the Act carry severe penalties, including imprisonment, fines, and seizure of property involved in the illegal trade.

Despite Gujarat’s strict prohibition laws, the illegal liquor trade remains a significant issue.

In 2024, authorities seized approximately 82 lakh bottles of liquor valued at Rs 144 crore across the state. Ahmedabad alone accounted for over 4.38 lakh bottles, with 2,139 cases involving IMFL and 7,796 cases related to country-made liquor. Notably, the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) registered 455 cases, confiscating liquor worth Rs 22.5 crore and total items valued at nearly Rs 52 crore.

In a significant operation, the SMC seized over 8,500 bottles of foreign-made liquor worth Rs 1.19 crore in Chotila taluka, Surendranagar.

Additionally, in a mid-sea raid off Una, Rajkot, authorities intercepted a boat carrying liquor worth Rs 25 lakh.

These seizures reflect ongoing efforts to combat the illegal liquor trade, which often involves smuggling from neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

New Delhi, Oct 25: Police in Maharashtra’s Satara district arrested one accused on Saturday in connection with the death of a female doctor who allegedly committed suicide after being repeatedly raped by a police officer and being pressurised by an MP to falsify medical reports of accused in cases.

According to officials, the arrested person has been identified as Prashant Bankar, the son of the doctor’s landlord whose name was mentioned in her four-page suicide note.

The deceased doctor, a native of Beed district, was posted as a medical officer at a government hospital in Phaltan, Satara. On Thursday night, she was found hanging in a hotel room under mysterious circumstances. Shockingly, she had written a suicide note on her palm, naming Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane and Prashant Bankar, accusing the police officer of rape and Prashant of mental harassment.

After Prashant’s arrest, police said he will be produced before the court and his custody will be sought for further investigation. Meanwhile, Sub-Inspector Badane has been suspended, and a detailed enquiry is underway. Both accused have been booked at the Phaltan Police Station. Satara SP Tushar Doshi confirmed that the rape allegations and Prashant’s role are being thoroughly investigated.

The female doctor who allegedly committed suicide left behind a detailed four-page suicide note apart from the inked note on the palm of her hand, stating that a police officer raped her four times and exerted pressure on her to issue fake fitness certificates for accused persons in police cases. It has now emerged in her note that she was allegedly under pressure not only from police officials but also from a Member of Parliament (MP) and his personal assistants.

The woman doctor, who worked as a medical officer at the Phaltan sub-district hospital, wrote on her palm that she had been raped four times by Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane and subjected to mental and physical abuse for over five months.

Originally from Beed district, the doctor had been working at the hospital for 23 months.

Gopal Badane is a police officer, while Prashant Bankar is the son of the landlord in the house where the doctor lived.

She had complained 21 times to various authorities, but no action was taken against her tormentors.

Recounting a particular instance in her note, the doctor said she had refused to issue a certificate and two personal assistants of an MP had come to the hospital and made her speak to him over the phone. She stated in her note that during that conversation, the MP had threatened her indirectly.

Her cousin also made similar allegations about the doctor being made to falsify medical certificates.