A video has surfaced on the internet showing the moment a Nigerian national escaped from police custody during a drug raid in Navi Mumbai, India.
In a major crackdown against drugs, Navi Mumbai police had arrested the 44-year-old Nigerian national identified as Julius O Anthony Onyekachukwu from the Sector 24 area of Ulwe on Friday, October 6, 2023, and seized drugs worth ₹84.8 lakh.
The police also seized mobile phones, digital weighing tools and other materials to be used for selling the contraband.
This is the second major crackdown within six weeks by Navi Mumbai police against the sale of drugs in the city.
Based on information received regarding the sale of drugs in the Ulwe node, the NRI police carried out raids at 12 locations in sectors 3, 5, 18, 24 and 25 in Ulwe node and arrested the accused Nigerian.
The police seized 706 grams of mephedrone drugs worth ₹70.6 lakhs and 95 grams of Cocaine worth ₹14.25 lakhs from Onyekachukwu.
During the raids, the police found that 14 foreign nationals have been living illegally in the country. They have been issued notices to leave India under the Passport Act. Of the 14, 7 of them were female and 7 males and they all are from Nigeria and Uganda.
One of the accused also tried to escape from the police when he was being taken in a police van in sector 24 in Ulwe node. However, the police personnel chased him and caught him after some distance.
In the viral video shared on social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the accused Nigerian was seen being held by a policeman.
As soon as they start walking towards the police van, the accused somehow lets loose off the cop’s grip and launches a sprint away from the police.
The cops present at the spot wasted no time and started chasing the accused, however one of them fell on the ground during his attempt.
Others can be seen making ways in different directions to catch a hold of the accused running in the neighbourhood.
However, there are no reports about whether the police successfully nabbed the accused.
A total of 350 police personnel, officials from NRI, the Anti-Narcotic Cell, officials of the Foreign Citizens Registration Department of NRI Police Station and other senior officers were present.
The raids were carried out under the guidance of DCPs of both zones one and two including DCP (crime).
A case has been registered against all the arrested accused under sections 8C, 21B and 22C of the NDPS Act 1985 at NRI police station.
