Drug case accused on run for 3 years held in Thane

Thane, Sep 14 (PTI) Police here have arrested a drug case accused, who had been living under a false identity and frequently shifting locations to escape being caught for three years, an official said on Sunday.

Salman Anwar Sheikh (26), resident of Geeta Nagar in Mira Road area of Maharashtra's Thane district, was accused in a narcotics case registered here on July 10, 2022, and had been absconding since then, senior police inspector Rahul Rakh said.

"While the case was nearing conclusion in the trial court, Sheikh went missing and began to evade arrest. He was shuttling between Mira Road, Bhayander (in Thane) and Vasai (in neighbouring Palghar district), concealing his identity and doing low-profile jobs to avoid detection," he said.

He worked as a delivery boy and changed his mobile numbers frequently, the official said.

The police had received a tip that Sheikh was working as a delivery boy.

"Based on this, our team launched a two-month-long undercover investigation, keeping a watch on his possible hideouts and movement patterns. Finally, we intercepted and arrested him at Cabin Road, Bhayander on September 12," Rakh said.

Even as Sheikh was hiding, the court continued proceedings against the other accused.

On September 11, the court convicted three co-accused in the case. Two were sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment with fines of Rs 50,000 each, while a third was given 10 years' RI and a fine of 1 lakh was imposed on him, the police said. PTI COR GK