Drug cartel kingpin deported from Malaysia in custody of Navi Mumbai police, one aide held from Nerul
NAVI MUMBAI: The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) unit of the Navi Mumbai crime branch took custody of the drug cartel kingpin, Navi Chichkar, who was arrested in May by the Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau in the Rs 1,000 crore drug seizure case.
ANC team also took custody of Chickar's aide identified as Prabhat Pandey (30). Chichkar was deported from Malaysia after a red-corner notice was issued against him. The custody of Chichkar' and Pandey was taken by the Navi Mumbai ANC in connection with the seizure of 17.2 grams of hydro ganja worth Rs 2.80 lakh on April 14. This followed a raid conducted on a tip-off about a drug deal being carried out in a terrace flat in Sector-15, Nerul.
The flat owner, Ashish Gaware (22), and Ahmed Aulagi (23) were arrested, but their associate, Akash Maurya, escaped and is still untraceable.
Sandeep Nigade, senior inspector of the ANC, said, "The alleged drug kingpin, Navin Chichkar and his aide Pandey were produced before the Belapur JMFC court and remanded in police custody untill June 16. Till date, 18 accused have been arrested in the drugs cartel operated by kingpin Navin Chichkar and 14 more accused are wanted."
After a fortnight of the drug seizure, the Navi Mumbai crime branch team arrested a former national hockey player, a customs superintendent, a clearing agent, two police constables, and two angadias in connection with the April 14 hydro ganja bust by the Navi Mumbai Crime Branch's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC). The alleged kingpin of this drug cartel was Naveen Chichkar, the elder son of builder Gurunath Chichkar, who shot himself in the head at his Belapur office on April 25.
Chichkar's police custody was obtained for further interrogation, informed a crime branch officer. Builder Gurunath Chichkar left behind a note in which he alleged being 'harassed' by cops who repeatedly summoned him for inquiry into the drug cases filed against his sons, Naveen and Dhiraj.
After the April 14 drug bust in Nerul, during interrogation, the arrested duo, Gaware and Aulagi, revealed the names of former hockey player Sujit Bangera and Sahil Lambe (27), both Nerul residents, who allegedly smuggled the hydro ganja from Thailand to Mumbai via flights.
At Mumbai airport, the contraband was cleared by customs clearing agent Kamal Chandwani (56) and customs superintendent Prashant Gaur (40), both Kharghar residents, who were also arrested.
During the investigation, the police found that Kharghar police constable Sandeep Bhalerao (40) was communicating with Chandwani for the past six months, and ANC unit constable Sanjay Phulkar (36) was in touch with Bhalerao since the cartel bust.
Hence, the two cops were also arrested.
Further investigation showed that the cash obtained by Bangera and Chandwani from the sale of hydro ganja was routed to Thailand through two Vashi-based angadias, Ankit Patel and Rinkunkumar Patel, who converted it into cryptocurrency, and hence they too were arrested.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi's top cop Sanjay Arora to retire on July 31
The Delhi government's home department on Monday issued a formal notification announcing the retirement of Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on July 31, 2025, upon attaining the age of superannuation. A 1988-batch IPS officer from the Tamil Nadu cadre, Arora's exit will mark the culmination of a nearly four-decade-long policing career. The order, issued with the approval of Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena, has been sent to the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), police headquarters, the directorate of vigilance, and other relevant departments. However, officials said the notification is a routine administrative step typically issued two months ahead of the scheduled retirement of IAS and IPS officers. 'This is a standard procedure,' said a senior Delhi Police officer on condition of anonymity. 'Similar notifications have been issued in the past even for officers who eventually received extensions. Since the power to appoint or extend the tenure of the Delhi Police chief lies solely with the MHA, nothing is certain until the end of July.' Arora, who took charge as Delhi's police commissioner on August 1, 2022, was the third officer from outside the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre to lead the city's police, after Ajay Raaj Sharma and Rakesh Asthana. During his tenure, he was known for a composed leadership style and no-nonsense approach to policing, steering the force through several high-profile law and order situations. Before his appointment in Delhi, Arora served as the director general of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and held key positions in Tamil Nadu and across various Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). His leadership in anti-Naxal operations and efforts at strengthening inter-agency coordination were widely praised. An engineering graduate, Arora was also part of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG), and had previously earned commendations for postings with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Arora's legacy is expected to be defined by a push toward greater accountability within the force and adoption of new technologies to meet the capital's evolving security needs.
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
City pharmacist duped of Rs 60.65 lakh in online Avastin powder scam
1 2 Chandigarh: A city-based pharmacist was allegedly duped of Rs 60.65 lakh by online fraudsters who posed as representatives of an overseas pharmaceutical company and promised to purchase large quantities of Avastin powder. Despite fulfilling the order and making multiple payments, the complainant received no payment in return. Following his complaint, the Cyber Cell of the UT police registered an FIR against unknown persons and began tracing the money trail to identify the accused. Sunil Kumar, a resident of Block Number 13, Sector 32, said he received an international order for the supply of Avastin powder in 2024. Believing the transaction to be legitimate, he coordinated with certified suppliers and logistics partners through an online platform. He made several payments via bank transfers as instructed by the overseas buyers and their associates, but ultimately received no payment, and all communication ceased. According to the complaint, the scam began on Sep 25, 2024, when a Facebook user named Morris Pauline contacted Sunil, offering a business opportunity to supply Avastin powder to Actelion Laboratory, USA Branch. Communication continued via WhatsApp, and an email from actelionpharma01@ requested a monthly supply of 300 kg of the medicine. Morris Pauline also provided contact details for Sharma Enterprises, a local supplier based in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, which quoted Rs 99,000 per kg for the powder. After sharing the supplier's details with Morris Pauline, Sunil received confirmation from a person claiming to be Dr Sarkis Serge Messerlian, CEO of Actelion Laboratory, who approved the rates and requested 1 kg for testing. Sunil then paid Rs 13 lakh to Sharma Enterprises for 50 kg of the product across two bank accounts. Sharma Enterprises later demanded an additional Rs 10 lakh for delivery, citing transport delays, prompting Sunil to transfer another Rs 3.5 lakh. Subsequently, Motion Cargo International issued an invoice for 50 packets and received Rs 92,552. Sunil also transferred Rs 12 lakh for 50 kg across two Navi Mumbai-based accounts (Rs 6 lakh each). In total, he paid Sharma Enterprises Rs 28.5 lakh and Motion Cargo International Rs 1,86,104. On Oct 6, 2024, Sharma Enterprises provided details of a supposed USFDA certificate agent. Sunil paid Rs 34,15,681 across various accounts and received the certificate on Nov 26, 2024. Two days later, Dr Messerlian confirmed receipt of the certificate and advised Sunil to open an offshore bank account. On Nov 30, Sunil paid a $10,000 account opening fee, an IMF referral code fee of Rs 9,68,088, and a $4,000 deposit supposedly to the International Monetary Fund. In total, Sunil Kumar paid Rs 60.65 lakh in what turned out to be a fraudulent business scheme involving the supply of Avastin powder. After all communication with the alleged buyers ceased and no payment was received, he filed a complaint at the cybercrime police station. Upon verifying the facts, the police registered a case against unknown persons and launched an investigation. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru stampede: Deeming arrests unlawful, high court grants bail to 4 executives
Bengaluru: Karnataka high court Thursday granted conditional interim bail to RCB marketing executive Nikhil Sosale and three executives from event organisers DNA Networks, holding that the arrests lacked strong legal ground and are 'vitiated'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The court instructed immediate release of the four individuals -- DNA Entertainment Networks' Sunil Mathew, Kiran Kumar Sand Shamant NP Mavinakere, besides Sosale -- upon receipt of the bail order. After their arrest last week, the accused had said the FIR contained only the names of their companies. The bail conditions include restrictions on witness tampering, cooperation with probes, execution of personal bonds worth Rs 1 lakh with sureties, and submission of passports within two weeks. Justice Krishna Kumar said a perusal of FIRs containing alleged offences will, prima facie, indicate that the petitioners cannot be charged with voluntarily causing hurt, unlawful assembly and using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duties under BNS. The court further said offences like culpable homicide and endangering life or liberty are bailable and carry a maximum punishment of three years or a fine or with both. It held the view that the grounds of arrest – no material to support charges and the petitioners are not named in FIRs -- were not justified "without any investigation prior to their arrest". At the time of petitioners' arrest, the investigating officer did not furnish checklist/documents in accordance with guidelines mandated in Arnesh Kumar and DK Basu cases. The court said the arrest of the petitioners is vitiated. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The judge said that material on record will, prima facie, indicate that the petitioners were deprived of their personal liberty by the CCB police, who directly took petitioners to the Cubbon Park police station immediately thereafter. The court said the grounds of arrest are also vitiated by the arrests carried out by CCB, which did not have jurisdiction or authority to secure arrests.
