Pune city police have arrested a Nigerian national for allegedly possessing cocaine, valued at Rs 4.16 lakh.
The accused, identified as Shamsuddin Hasan (48), was residing at a residential society at Pisoli in Pune city.
A patrolling team of the anti-narcotics cell of the Pune city police’s crime branch arrested Hasan on a road in Pisoli around 2.30 am on Wednesday.
The police recovered 53 grams of cocaine, five cell phones worth Rs 15,000, a motorcycle, Rs 20,000 cash and a weighing machine – all worth Rs 5.02 lakh from his possession.
An offence was lodged at the Kondhwa police station under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Senior Inspector Vinayak Gaikwad of the anti-narcotics cell said, “Probe revealed that Hasan has been residing in India for the past 10 years and in Pune, for past few years. He carries a Nigerian passport and got married to a woman from Northeast India.”
“We suspect he is into the business of selling contraband for the past three years. We found that he has no other source of income. The investigation is on,” said Gaikwad.
The police said a court has granted magisterial custody remand to the accused. The police are probing from where Hasan had brought the cocaine.
