Ahmedabad Crime Branch nabs two with mephedrone worth ₹7 lakh near Maninagar railway station

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Sunday arrested two men with 70.73 grams of mephedrone, valued at over ₹7.07 lakh, in a raid outside Raj Ratna Arcade, opposite Maninagar railway station.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Salim alias Mama Sheikh (33), a resident of Vatva, and Seman Ghulamkadar Khalani (22), a resident of Nurnagar in Vatva and originally from Barwala in Botad. Both were apprehended while carrying the contraband in plastic containers, officials said.

The seizure included 70.73 grams of mephedrone, three mobile phones worth ₹75,000, ₹4,500 in cash, and packaging material, taking the total value of the recovered items to ₹7.86 lakh.

Crime Branch officials said that Salim has a prior criminal record. In 2012, he was arrested in connection with a murder near Maninagar post office, and in 2023, the Vatva GIDC police booked him under charges of assault, criminal intimidation and violations of the Gujarat Police Act.

Police added that the duo had procured the narcotics from a supplier identified as Gyasuddin, a resident of Dharavi in Mumbai, who has been named as a wanted accused in the case.

An FIR has been registered at the DCB police station under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. “Further investigation is underway to trace the supplier and the wider network involved,” an officer of the Crime Branch said.