Gujarat Police busts mephedrone racket, Bishnoi gang booked under GUJCTOC

In a major crackdown on narcotics and organised crime, the State Monitoring Cell (SMC) of Gujarat Police arrested two individuals for possession and distribution of mephedrone and also filed a case under the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GUJCTOC) Act against 13 operatives of a cross-state liquor smuggling network linked to the Bishnoi gang.

According to officials, a case was registered under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, at 10:45 am on June 4, following a raid conducted by the SMC in Gandhinagar. During the operation, officials seized 2.5 grams and 280 milligrams of mephedrone, along with ₹5.22 lakh in cash and other valuables totalling ₹5.27 lakh.

Initial interrogation led to the arrest of Soheb alias Mama Ibrahim Khatalsab Sheikh. During questioning, Sheikh disclosed that the drugs had been sourced from an individual named Imran, a resident of Shah Alam in Ahmedabad. Acting swiftly on this intelligence, the SMC located and apprehended Yasin Miyaan alias Imran Sherumiyaan Syed from Panwali Chali near Shah Alam Darwaza. Further probe led to the arrest of another accused, Mohammad Hanif Mohammad Siddique Syed, from the same area. Both were formally arrested at the SMC office at 4.30 pm on Monday.

In a separate development, the SMC has booked 13 individuals under the stringent GUJCTOC Act for their involvement in a large-scale liquor smuggling operation. Among them are nine members of the notorious Bishnoi gang from Rajasthan, who were found to be illegally transporting Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from Rajasthan, Goa, and Punjab into Gujarat. Four individuals from Gujarat based in Vadodara, Ahmedabad rural, Morbi, and Rajkot were identified as recipients of the consignments.

The FIR under the GUJCTOC Act was registered on May 10 at the SMC Police Station in Gandhinagar. Based on technical surveillance and human intelligence, one of the key accused, Ravi Naumal Kukdeja alias Sidhi, was arrested near Harsh Palace Hotel in Udaipur. Kukdeja, who hails from Vadodara, has since been brought to the SMC headquarters and handed over to Deputy Superintendent of Police R I Desai for further investigation.

The SMC has stated that both cases are under active investigation and more arrests are likely in the coming days.