Gangster in jail operating drug trafficking network through in-laws' house

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Soon after notorious criminal Faizal Teja was sent to prison a few days ago, his in-laws allegedly began openly engaging in drug trafficking. On Thursday night, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) squad conducted a raid at Baijipura and arrested his brother-in-law, Sonu Manse alias Sohail Karim Syed.

During the raid, the police seized 39 bottles of liquid medicine suspected of being narcotics from the house. Over the past year, under the leadership of Police Inspector Geeta Bagwade from the NDPS unit, more than five members of Faizal Teja’s family have been arrested.

Teja, who had earlier chased an auto-rickshaw driver on a public road in the TV Centre area, wielding a sickle, is currently languishing in Harsul Jail due to the fear his actions created in society. Following his imprisonment, the responsibility of his drug trafficking operations was taken over by his mother-in-law, Reshma Anjum and his brother-in-law, Sonu (alias Sohail).

They began stockpiling narcotics within their home. Acting on a tip-off, Inspector Bagwade's NDPS team raided the residence on Thursday. However, by the time of the raid, a significant portion of the drugs had already been sold. Sonu was arrested during the operation and handed over to the Jinsi Police for further investigation.

In a separate operation, the NDPS squad arrested Nadeem Shafique Shaikh (31), a resident of Baijipura, who was selling narcotic cough syrup bottles while driving an auto-rickshaw. The team seized 46 bottles from his possession.

During the investigation, it was revealed that he was being supplied by a dealer named Tayyab Shaikh. Both individuals were arrested and handed over to the MIDC Cidco Police for further action.

It has repeatedly come to light that criminal gangs lodged in prisons are operating drug trafficking networks from behind bars. Recently, Sameer Stylo from the Jinsi area, who was recently released on bail in a murder case, has been identified as a key supplier of narcotic substances. Bagwade has named Sameer as a co-accused, along with Faizal Teja’s distant mother-in-law, Shireen Chaus, Reshma Anjum Syed, and Sheru Shiraz Syed.