Man held with banned narcotic in Thane

The police arrested a 78- year-old man from Navi Mumbai for allegedly possessing codeine, a banned narcotic substance, worth over Rs 2 lakh, an official said today.

Acting on a tip-off, the Navi Mumbai Police's anti-narcotic cell laid a trap and nabbed the man on Monday near a garden in the Kalamboli area, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Tushar Doshisaid.

The police seized 16.2 kg of codeine from the possession of the accused, identified as Mahendrasingh Bhagatsingh, he said.

The value of the seized contraband is estimated to be around Rs 2.44 lakh, he said.

The accused was apparently planning to sell the drug in the area, the official said.

Codeine, a narcotic substance banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, is generally used in cough syrups.

It is also an opiate and used in reducing pain. The medicine containing codeine can be bought against a prescription.

The accused was booked under relevant sections of the NDPS Act.

He was produced yesterday in a local court which remanded him in police custody for one day, the official added.