According to police, 16 packages of charas weighing 17 kilogrammes and valued at Rs. 26.45 lakh were allegedly stashed in a fisherman’s home in Gir Somnath, Gujarat. The fisherman was arrested.
The 16 abandoned packs of charas were discovered by suspect Shabbir Kharia after washing ashore, according to an officer. According to Superintendent of Police Manoharsinh Jadeja, the packages found on the accused were a part of the same shipment that was recently found along the seashores in the districts of Gir Somnath, Porbandar, and Junagadh.
“A joint team of Special Operations Group (SOG) and Local Crime Branch (LCB) was formed after a tip-off was received that a man was keeping charas packets in his house. After recovering 16 packets of charas weighing around 17 kg and valued at Rs 26.5 lakh, we nabbed Shabbir Kharia,” Jadeja told reporters. The packets are like the 350 found around a month-and-half back on the shore here, he added.
The Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) is investigating the case as such packets were found from the sea coasts across three coastal districts, including Gir Somnath, Jadeja added. “Primary investigation has revealed the accused found the packets from the sea shore and decided to keep it at his home instead of informing the police. We had held meetings in coastal areas and informed people to let the police know whenever they came across such packets,” he said.Kharia has been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said.