Police seize MDMA, cocaine worth Rs 24 lakh; six held

Mangaluru (Karnataka), Sep 22 (PTI) Six persons were arrested and synthetic drugs valued at over Rs 24 lakh were seized in two separate operations carried out by the City Crime Branch, officials said on Monday.

The suspects were identified as Chirag Sanil and Alwin Clinton D'Souza, both residents of Kavoor, after City Crime Branch (CCB) officers intercepted the two men on a scooter at Malli Layout, Gandhinagar, Kavoor on Sunday, they said.

Police recovered 111.83 grams of MDMA worth Rs 22.3 lakh from them.

According to police, preliminary investigations revealed that the drugs were sourced from an African national in Mumbai, financed by one Abdul Kareem from Malappuram, Kerala. Kareem was later arrested near Mangaluru Central Railway Station.

The same evening, acting on further inputs, the CCB officials raided the Central Warehouse area in Mannagudda. Three persons--Janan Jagannath, Rajesh Bangera, and Varun Ganiga--were caught with 21.03 grams of cocaine worth Rs 1.9 lakh, a senior police officer said.

Both cases have been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and the accused have been remanded to judicial custody, police said. PTI COR AMP KH