
NCB announces ₹1L reward for information on smuggler Salim Dola
₹ 1L reward for information on smuggler Salim Dola
Dola, who is believed to be abroad, is wanted by the NCB for his alleged involvement in the seizure of 20 kg of Mephedrone, commonly known as MD, from the Dongri area two years ago. The 57-year-old had supplied the contraband to the accused from whom it was seized, said NCB sources. Subsequently, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Dola by a local court while the Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice against him following the NCB's request, the sources mentioned.
In the notice issued to the public on Wednesday, the NCB said that information related to Dola's whereabouts can be submitted to its additional director in Mumbai via telephone (022-22620428) and email (zdmzu-ncb@nic.in). Name and other identification details of potential informants would be kept 'strictly confidential', the notice mentioned.
In May, a city-based narcotics trafficker with international linkages, who was allegedly involved in the seizure of 20 kg MD, was placed under preventive detention as per provisions of the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act. He was later transferred from the Arthur Road prison to Chennai's Puzhal Central Prison and the NCB froze his assets worth ₹6.4 crore, suspected to be proceeds from his drug-trafficking activities.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had, in June, secured the deportation of Dola's son, Taher, an accused in a ₹252-crore synthetic drug case, from the United Arab Emirates. Taher was wanted by the Mumbai police for allegedly operating an illegal MD-manufacturing unit in Sangli. Mumbai police had seized 126.14 kg MD from the facility, valued at approximately ₹252 crore, in March 2024.
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Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Hanumangarh cops nab smuggler with MD worth 1.5 crore
1 2 Jaipur: Hanumangarh police Monday arrested an alleged smuggler who was carrying Mephedrone (MD) drugs worth approximately Rs 1.5 crore. Hanumangarh SP Hari Shankar said the operation was conducted following actionable intelligence, with the Sangaria police station team playing a crucial role. "A special campaign is being conducted to curb drug trafficking in the district. As part of this, Sangaria team was patrolling when they received information about a suspicious person near Ratanpura on the Bharatmala road," said Shankar. He added that upon searching the person, they found 307.6 grams of MD drugs in his possession. The arrested man has been identified as Samundra Singh (24), a resident of Tumdia village in Chittorgarh district. Police said several cases under NDPS Act were previously registered against him. In July 2025, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a clandestine laboratory in Sriganganagar, arresting two persons for manufacturing MD worth Rs 15 crore. A police official said, "We have been coordinating with central agencies and our counterparts in neighbouring cities about drug peddlers, and real-time information is shared almost on a daily basis". The official added that Singh's arrest was crucial for two reasons—firstly, he was peddling a big amount and was making trips to different cities; and secondly, he was suspected to be connected with other drug syndicates. Interrogation is underway to find out the MD's suppliers and the accused will be produced before court for police remand, said an official.


Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Indian Express
Pune Crime Files: from escort service to drug sale, how convicted top sex racketeer Kalyani was booked under MCOCA again
Jayashree alias Kalyani Umesh Deshpande, 56, whose name has figured in Pune police records for years as an infamous sex racketeer, has once again been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). This time, however, the action taken against her is in connection with the 'ganja (marijuana)' business she was allegedly operating from the garment shop Kalyani Collection, located near her residence Balaji Nivas, on the Pashan-Sus Road. Acting on a tip-off, a team from the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Pimpri Chinchwad police's crime branch raided Balaji Nivas and Kalyani Collection on May 24 this year. The search was led by Santosh Patil, Senior Inspector, and Vikram Gaikwad, Assistant Inspector. The police arrested Kalyani's husband Umesh Deshpande, 56, her niece Aishwarya Deshpande alias Aishwarya Ranawade, 22, and Aishwarya's husband Abhishekh Ranawade, 32, from the spot. The searches, meanwhile, led to the recovery of about 21 kg of marijuana, worth Rs 11 lakh, from their possession. Questioning of the three accused allegedly revealed that Kalyani had procured the marijuana, which was then stocked in nylon bags and sold from the garment shop. A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at Bavdhan police station under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The investigators launched a search for Kalyani. A senior police officer said that though Kalyani is the most notorious sex racketeer in Pune, this is the first case against her that is linked to a drug racket. The police suspect that Kalyani, who is known to have contacts across various criminal syndicates, allegedly networked with marijuana smugglers operating from Odisha via Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, officers said she started Kalyani Collection a few months before the raids. The shop sold garments, but it was allegedly just a cover for the marijuana business. Following a rigorous search operation, the police arrested her from the Rajanagaram area in Andhra Pradesh on June 15. Since then, she has been behind bars, but the investigators are yet to trace the people who allegedly supplied the marijuana. 'We suspect that she started selling marijuana alongside running the sex racket to make more money,' Senior Inspector Patil said. The Pimpri Chinchwad police said Kalyani was running an organised criminal gang with Umesh, Aishwarya, and Abhishek. Considering the alleged involvement of the gang in six offences, including five crimes pertaining to sex racketeering in the past, the police in July invoked MCOCA against all four accused in the NDPS Act case registered at Bavdhan police station, as per a statement issued on August 2. However, the police said Kalyani has a long criminal record. They believe she was a part of the sex trade in Pune since the 1990s, but her name only made it to Pune City police records in 2000 when she was named an accused in around 25 criminal cases, officers added. As per police records, Kalyani operated an escort agency named 'Venus Escorts' from her bungalow in Pune. She was first booked under MCOCA after her name cropped up in connection with the murder of a sex worker at a hotel on the outskirts of Pune in December 2005. An FIR of murder was lodged against her at Haveli police station, but she was discharged under MCOCA and later acquitted in the case. The police said her residence on Sus Road was infamous for sex trade and crimes. In December 2007, her close aide in the prostitution business, Anil Dhole, was murdered at this bungalow. According to police sources, even after Dhole's death, Kalyani's activities grew, with some of her customers being high-profile clients. Sources said she developed a network that allegedly 'supplied' girls from different parts of the country and abroad for prostitution in Pune and other areas. On March 31, 2012, the Hinjewadi police arrested Kalyani in a sex racket case. And in April, the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested an inspector and a constable of Hinjewadi police station for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 40,000 from Kalyani's cousin Jatin Chawda to prevent seeking an extension in her police custody before the court. Kalyani got bail in this case and allegedly continued to operate her sex racket. Police sources said Kalyani had even announced a film based on her life, claiming that it was being shot in Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, but did not reveal its title. The film was never released. Kalyani reportedly told investigators that she hailed from an ordinary family and married an autorickshaw driver. She claimed that an urgent need for money in the family had led her to the sex trade. In April 2012, ahead of the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar, Kalyani had put up banners in some parts of the city to show her interest in social work. The banners carried her photograph alongside Ambedkar's image. However, in 2016, the Pune City police arrested Kalyani after links emerged with a sex racket busted at an apartment in Bhusari Colony, Kothrud. The police had allegedly found two women from Uzbekistan engaged in prostitution at the apartment. Kalyani and her aides – Pradip Gavali and Ravi Tapase – were arrested in this case under sections of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act (PITA). The same year, in October, the police invoked MCOCA against Kalyani in this case. In December 2022, a special court in Pune convicted and sentenced her to seven years of rigorous imprisonment under PITA and MCOCA charges. Officers said that after completing her jail term, she became active in the prostitution business again. Last year, she was arrested in two sex racket cases in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Officers said she soon came out on bail before allegedly getting involved in the marijuana trade. Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007. Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the 'Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation' in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the 'Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry'. ... Read More


The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Man held at Mumbai airport with marijuana worth ₹14.73 cr concealed in 'diplomatic' cargo
Mumbai Customs has arrested a traveller at the international airport here for allegedly trying to smuggle 15 kg of hydroponic weed with an estimated value of ₹14.73 crore, officials said. The contraband was concealed in a packet labelled as "Diplomatic Pouch of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)", officials said on Sunday (August 3, 2025). The traveller had landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from Bangkok, an official said. "During the examination of his baggage, Customs officers recovered 14.738 kg of suspected hydroponic weed (marijuana), with an illicit market value of approximately ₹14.738 crore," he said, adding that the accused was trying to smuggle the contraband by falsely declaring the consignment as confidential diplomatic cargo linked to national security. The contraband was concealed inside envelopes bearing purported Ministry of External Affairs markings and sealed with official MEA tape, he said, adding that the trolley bag also contained copies of various UNODC and fake "top secret mission" reports. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.