Nigerian held with cocaine worth ₹3 lakh

NAVI MUMBAI: A special squad of police arrested a Nigerian national in a drug bust and seized cocaine worth ₹3.13 lakh.

The police have also seized country-made liquor from a slum in Rabale in a separate case.

The team said they received a tip-off about a Nigerian who would be arriving in Kopar Khairane village to sell cocaine to a customer.

Early on Friday, the special squadreachedSector19inKopar Khairane and laid a trap.

“OurteamfoundoneNigerian suspect near Domino’s Pizza which matched with the informationwehadreceived.Thesuspect was frisked after which we found 26 grams of cocaine worth ₹ 3.13 lakh,” said deputy commissioner of police Pankaj Dahane.

The accused was identified as Ikechuku Precious Onedikachi, 22, who had been staying in the area.

Police said they are verifying to ascertain for how long Onedikachi has been staying in India and whether his visa is valid.

The accused was arrested under sections of Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

The police are probing to zero down on the person from whom Onedikachi procured the cocaine. The team on Thursday had seized country-made liquor and imported alcohol worth ₹43,523 from a man named Raju Shah, 29, from his Rabale MIDC residence. Shah used to sell the liquor by smuggling it, said police. The accused was booked and handed over to the custody of Rabale MIDC police.

KALYAN: Yusuf Munshi, 72, spends over 18 hours sitting on the groundatGovindwadiinKalyan to make his opinion on Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) heard.

Munshi knows that at his age his voice might not be strong enough to get heard, however he want to support who want to make a change.

Like Munshi, 30-year-old Huda Muramkar, mother of three and a school teacher, hardly slept for over three hours in the past four days. Being a working mother, she has to jugglebetweenherworkandfamily. She spends six hours daily at the Govindwadi protest, now called Shaheen Baugh of Kalyan.

Muramkar said, “I have barely slept in the past four days, however that is least of my concern.Myfamilysupportsmeand when my children go to school, my mother-in-law and other family members join us on the ground.”

The 3,000 people begin the protest every night by reading the preamble, conduct discussions on various topics like democracy, secularism and constitution. The protesters perform plays and action songs.

The small Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation ground in Govindwadi had never seen such a protest earlier. The by-lanes of Govindwadi, which were known to be unsafe, are now reverberating on the beats of nationalism.

Munshi said, “At this age, it is not easy for me to express myself or protest, however, I have seen the difficult times our nation has gonethroughandcanpredictthe impact such black laws can have on the country. I will continue to fight till the CAA is revoked.”

Dr Rameez Falke, 32, a diabetologist, completes his consultationsduringthedayandjoinsthe crowd at the ground.

“I am at the ground for 16 hours. We have become family. In a diverse country like ours, there is bound to be difference of opinion. But, iftherearesomany people raising their voice, the voice needs to be taken seriously,” said Falke.

There is no organisation that are supporting or backing the protestors at Govindwadi. They are inspired by protesters at Shaheen Bagh and have named themselves Kalyan’s Shaheen Bagh. There is a donation box near the stage where people can put money. The money is used to provide tea, water and first-aid to those present there.

Falke added, “Many get food from home and share. Many have donated blankets, snacks and water.”

Thefamiliesinandaroundthe area ensure that at least one member of the family is present at the protest round the clock.

Nazriya Sheikh, 24, and her husband take turns to be part of theprotest. Shesaid,“Duringthe day, I go to the ground. He joins the protest in the evening while Igohometocompletemychores. My father in law is unwell but he too spends at least an hour at the ground.”

Sunday will be the fifth day of the protest.

Support for the protest has also poured from all quarters. Some have readily agreed to cancel their bookings for the ground or change the schedule.

Asif , 54, (who refused to give his surname, said, “A relative of mine had booked this ground for his daughter’s wedding today. We realised the importance of the protest and advanced the time of the function so that we could wrap it up in a few hours. We asked some protesters to occupy a part of the ground and did not disturb them.”

› Our team found one Nigerian suspect which matched with the information we had received. PANKAJ DAHANE, deputy commissioner of police