Rs 21,000 cr Mundra drug haul accused escapes from police custody in Punjab
Bhuj, Feb 18: An accused in the case related to the seizure of 2,988 kg of heroin at Mundra port in Gujarat in 2021 escaped from police custody in Punjab, where he was taken for a court appearance in another case, police said on Sunday.
Jobanjit Singh Sandhu, who was taken from the Bhuj jail in Kutch to appear before a court in Amritsar in another case, escaped on Saturday, Kutch (West) Superintendent of Police Mahendra Bagadiya said.
"He was being brought back from Amritsar when he managed to escape from the clutches of the Gujarat police. A search operation has been launched with the help of local police, and efforts are on to capture him," the official said.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized around 2,988 kg of heroin worth around Rs 21,000 crore from the containers at Mundra port in Kutch in September 2021.
The consignment was imported by a trading company registered in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, as semi-processed talc stones.The narcotic substance was stated to be of Afghanistan origin and was shipped from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran to Mundra Port.
The DRI conducted searches in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Gandhidham, and Mandvi in Gujarat, and several persons, including owners of Aashi Trading Company M Sudhakar and his wife G Durga Purna Vaishali were arrested.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) later took over the probe and booked the accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) apart from the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
As per the supplementary chargesheet filed by the probe agency in May 2023, 42 persons and seven firms have been booked.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
