Mumbai:
In what could be termed as a major goof-up, a team from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) sealed the wrong flat at a building located in Santacruz (West), just days after they busted a major drug racket.
On February 12, a team of NCB officials, including investigating officer Amit Tiwary, raided a hotel in Khar and nabbed South American nationals Santander Tarazana Prado and Juan Fernando Doncel Rivera, and seized 10 kg of cocaine. Based on the duo's revelation, on February 15, the officials arrested Zahid Hussain Mir, a British national from Sakinaka, and recovered 19.080 kg cocaine.
Further investigations revealed that a certain Uday Chakubhai Dhanak, a resident of flat no 01, Pushpa Kunj, Linking Road Extension, Santacruz (West), had allegedly supplied the contraband to the trio. On February 17, NCB officials arrested Dhanak and seized some important documents, including photocopies of several passports from his possession.
A day before Dhanak was arrested the NCB officials had raided his residence at Pushpa Kunj. However, post-Dhanak's arrest, they ended up sealing flat no 5, instead of flat no 1. When the Mid-Day correspondent visited Pushpa Kunj to get details about the actual owner of flat no 5, the security guards prohibited him from entering the building's premises.
On Monday, Anand Sachwani, Dhanak's lawyer, while making submissions in the Sessions Court argued that NCB officials had flouted norms while raiding his client's residence. "We have also informed the court about the flat, which has been wrongly sealed by the NCB officials," said Sachwani.
"It could be a technical problem.
Dhanak ne jo flat dikhaya hoga, hamare officers ne wahi seal kiya hoga (Whichever flat Dhanak must have pointed at, our officers must have sealed it). Now Dhanak's lawyer is taking advantage of this technical glitch. He is misleading the court," said Yashodhan Wanage, zonal director, NCB.