Drugs and Drug Peddling has emerged as order of the day. Not a day passes without hearing about the dubious drug peddlers and drugs. Massive crackdown and raids have been carried out and the offenders have been nabbed and jailed.
The recent case to come to light is of a raid by the Shahu Nagar Police at the house of a Matunga-based Sales Executive, Faqrudin Sayyed, 30,
Both Faqrudin and his friend Gopal, alias Gopi Arunachalam Mooponr, 22 are residents of Matunga Labour Camp near Kumbharwada Junction, Matunga East.Gopal runs his own cable business in the area.
In the raid of Faqrudin Sayyad’s house, the Shahu Nagar Police recovered 485 gms of mephedrone (MD) worth Rs 60 lakh and a revolver. Subsequently following the recovery of the Drugs, the Shahu Nagar Police arrested both Faqrudin and Gopal.
However, the 30-year-old accused Faqrudin’s family and friends claim that the cops were carrying the drugs with them when they arrived to raid the house and the gun was planted by them at the behest of the man’s fiancee’s friend, who was not happy with their engagement.
However, the police said that the accused had got the drugs through a courier and should have informed them about it, but instead they kept it. Mentioning that they had not framed the duo in a false case, the cops said that they were trying to find out from where and how they purchased the drugs and weapon.
Reportedly, the Friends of the duo have written to the Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrekar demanding justice in the case.
Meanwhile, the Shahu Nagar Police have registered a case under various sections of the NDPS Act and Arms Act and arrested the duo. They were produced before the Kurla metropolitan magistrate court and were remanded in police custody till December
According to their friends, on Friday night around 8.30 pm a courier delivery boy arrived at Sayyed’s residence to deliver a package. Since he was not at home, the boy left the box at a paanshop located on the ground floor, which is also owned by Sayyed. However, 30 minutes later the boy returned and took back the parcel saying that it had to be delivered to Sayyed.The paanshop is on the ground floor of the Sayyeds Home.
As per Police sources Sayyed lives with his elder brother and an uncle, who were out for some work on that day. When he along with his friend returned home around 9.30 pm, four cops in plain clothes suddenly barged into the house and started raiding the premises. Later they found the same package at their home that the courier delivery boy had collected from the paanshop. The cops opened the packet and found the drugs and gun.
Ironically, according to Advocate Nitin Satpute, representing the accused, “My clients are being falsely framed in the case. The cops said that they recovered a huge quantity of MD, which can only be supplied by a drug dealer, not by businessmen or regular employees. They don’t have any drug links and are innocent. The courier delivery boy is behind the crime.”
According to Investigating officer Sandip Sawant of Shahu Nagar police station said, they received a tip-off and conducted the raid at Sayyed’s residence. During the raid they found the MD and a country-made gun with bullets.They carried out a punchnama at the spot and arrested both of them. They are also checking CCTV cameras and trying to find out who sent the package and are looking for the courier delivery boy as well. If they got the drugs and weapon through courier, then why did they keep it at their residence? They should have informed the Police. Every criminal says that they are innocent and the Shahu Nagar Police are checking their past records as well, and trying to find out how they bought the MD and gun. The investigation is still on. They haven’t framed them in a false case.
Sources reveal that as per Rizwan Shaikh, who runs the paanshop at the ground floor of Sayyed’s residence said, “A courier boy came to the shop and gave me the package saying that Sayyed was not at home. I took the box and kept it with me. However, 30 minutes later he returned and took back the parcel saying that he would give it to Sayyed himself. I gave it to him and he left in a hurry.”
Meanwhile, seven of the accused duo’s friends – Vinayak Hubbaji, Diana Fernando, Parmesh Maitri, Chetan Kamble, Tukaram Chalke, Yeshudas Arulraj and Sadiq Sayyed have written a letter to the CP requesting him to investigate the matter and give justice to the duo.
The role of the police is questionable. The cops found the box that was returned by the paanshop owner during the search. How is it possible?
Adding to this, Fernando said, “The police officers barged into the house carrying a parcel, which they claimed to have recovered from Sayyed’s house. The reality is that the police checked the duo and did not find anything on them. They arrested them without any proof. After reaching the police station, the cops claimed that the package had 485 gms of MD and a gun. As per the FIR, out of the total amount of MD confiscated, 290 gms were registered under Sayyed’s name and 195 gms under Gopal’s name.”
“Sayyed and Gopal are simple and hardworking people. They are our childhood friends and they will never do something like this. Our friends are innocent,” added Maitri.
Maitri further claimed “We suspect that one of the bride’s common friends is involved in the matter as he has more than six to seven cases of NDPS and others against him. He should be interrogated.”
News Input and Picture by : K.V.Raman
Matunga-based Sales Executive, Faqrudin Sayyed and his friend Gopal, seize 485 gms of mephedrone worth Rs 60L and revolver.