Repeat Offender Externed: Mumbai Cracks Down on Drugs

In a significant escalation of its anti-narcotics drive, Mumbai police have externed a known drug peddler for twelve months under the PIT-NDPS Act. Iqbal Mohammad Ali Sheikh, previously released on bail, was found to have re-engaged in illicit activities, leading authorities to seek and obtain his preventive detention. The 36-year-old Dharavi resident has eight NDPS cases to his name spanning multiple police stations. A Worli case from 2025 had already resulted in a chargesheet, yet his return to the trade after bail triggered the latest action. The Maharashtra Home Department approved the proposal, and Sheikh was moved to Yerawada Central Jail on 24 May. This externment is the seventh operation of its kind executed by the Anti-Narcotics Cell this year. Senior officers describe it as part of a broader strategy to choke the supply network and deter habitual offenders from resuming business after securing bail. In a related development, Navi Mumbai and Manpada police carried out a joint combing operation in Dombivli on 23 May. The exercise, involving more than 150 personnel, led to the detention of 24 Nigerian nationals. Several lacked valid documentation, and nine face existing NDPS charges, highlighting the cross-border dimension of the local drug trade.