Drug seizure: Cops register case against 8 Pak nationals

Nearly a week after a boat carrying 232 kilogram of narcotics were seized and eight Pakistani crew were apprehended by Coast Guard off Gujarat coast, Mumbai police today registered a case against the crew.
"We have registered a case at the Yellow Gate Police station against the eight Pakistani crew member, who were handed over by the Coast Guard. We have booked them under the relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, NDPS act and other Maritime acts," Krishna Prakash, Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) told PTI here today.
For the crimes committed in international waters, there are only two police stations in the country, where the crime can be registered. All the cases reported in the international water in the west coast goes to the Yellow Gate police station in Mumbai, while in the east coast it goes to Kolkata.

Multiple agencies, including the intelligence, the Navy, Narcotics Control Bureau and the Coast Guard have interrogated the crew to unravel the facilitators running the smuggling trade.
The operation was launched on April 18 after receiving intelligence inputs, and was conducted in close coordination of the Western command of Navy along with the north-west regional headquarters of the Coast Guard.
Initial investigations have led to the recovery of 232 packets heroin and worth up to Rs 600 crore in the international market.
A boat carrying narcotics, whose market value is pegged at Rs 600 crore, was seized and the Pakistani crew onboard were arrested in a joint intelligence-based operation by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard from international waters off Gujarat coast.

Two days back, the Gujarat court had directed the Coast Guard to produce the eight accused in a special court in Mumbai for further legal proceedings as the local court does not have the powers to take up matters related to crimes committed in international waters.