Rs 500 cr cache: Drugs were to go to Mumbai, then Delhi

After interrogation of nine Iranian nationals on Thursday, officials revealed that the heroin they were smuggling was meant to be delivered to Delhi. On Wednesday, nine Iranian nationals were nabbed off Gujarat coast and 100 kilograms of heroin, worth around Rs 500 crore, was seized.

The nine Iranians were identified as Mohammad Aslam Abdil (39), Amin Mohammad (28), Ishak Dilshad (38), Ayub Baloch (39), Wahid Baloch (26), Umid Iranka (20), Tahir Raza (34), Sajid Umar (20) and Dhor Mohammad Nakib Raisi (65).

While interrogating Aslam, leader of the crew, the cops found out that the consignment was loaded at Pakistan's Gwadar port by one Pakistani national Hamid Malek.

Senior ATS officials said the Iranian boat was to get to Porbandar coast, where the heroin was to be moved to a Mumbai-based boat. A Badruddin Shaikh was to receive it in Mumbai, and later, it was to go to a Mohammad in Delhi.

The accused tried to contact the Indian boat via Very High Frequency code messages once they crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line.

It was also revealed that Aslam had been arrested by Oman police in a narcotics case in 2002, for which he went to prison for seven years.

The nabbing operation was jointly conducted by the Gujarat ATS, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Marine Task Force. The ICG confronted the boat, and unable to flee, the accused set fire to the boat to try and destroy evidence.