Surat: The Lalgate police in the city arrested two more individuals in connection with a Rs 13 lakh MD drugs case. The main accused, Atahar Arif Mansuri (27), a computer engineer from Bharuch, and Ashraf Sokhiya (30) of Mumbai, who supplied the MD to Mansuri, were arrested on Tuesday. Additionally, the police have sealed a snack and pan shop that was being used to sell the contraband.
Investigations revealed that Mansuri had incurred losses in trading USDT and cryptocurrency. To recover these losses and repay his friends who had invested in cryptocurrency based on his advice, Mansuri resorted to selling drugs six months ago. Furthermore, Mansuri owed Rs 3 lakh to Sokhiya and had requested him to procure MD to settle the debt.
Sokhiya facilitated Mansuri by sending small parcels of MD in luxury buses from Mumbai, which Mansuri distributed to an accomplice, Godil, in Surat. The police stated, “Mansuri made his friends invest in cryptocurrency, promising good returns. As they incurred losses, they sought recovery from Mansuri.
To repay them, Mansuri started selling drugs.” It was found that Mansuri and Sokhiya used code words in their phone conversations to evade detection. They referred to the police as ‘mehman’ (guest) and the MD drugs as ‘saaman’.
The Lalgate police anticipate more arrests in this case and have initiated legal proceedings against the owners of the snack and pan shop where the drugs were sold..
