₹1.08 Crore Drug Trafficking Case: Six-Month Manhunt Ends With Arrest Near Maharashtra–Gujarat Border

Palghar: The Crime Branch Unit 3 of Virar has arrested a key accused wanted in a major narcotics case registered at Bolinj Police Station under the NDPS Act. The case, filed under Sections 8(c), 21(c), and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, involved the seizure of 324 grams of heroin along with other material, collectively valued at ₹1,08,10,000. The arrested accused had been absconding since the initial action.

The wanted man, identified as Azmat Arif Shaikh, a 25-year-old resident of Saidutt Slums on Veer Savarkar Road in Virar East, had allegedly fled his residence immediately after the case was registered. For the past six months, he had reportedly been shifting locations across various areas along the Maharashtra–Gujarat border, making it difficult for investigators to trace him. Despite this, officers of Crime Branch Unit 3 continued sustained efforts by questioning his relatives, local contacts and witnesses, while simultaneously conducting technical surveillance.

After months of tracking and analysis, the team finally located Shaikh near the Maharashtra–Gujarat border at Bhilad in Valsad district of Gujarat. On 25 November 2025, officers apprehended him and subsequently handed him over to the Anti-Narcotics Cell Unit 1, which is conducting the investigation in the case.

Authorities described the arrest as a significant breakthrough in cracking down on narcotics networks operating across state borders. Further investigation is underway.

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