The police said that none of the accused have a prior criminal record.(Representational Image)Three men were arrested on Sunday for allegedly assaulting NCB officials in Goregaon and preventing them from arresting a drug peddler. A team of six NCB officials led by Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede had caught an alleged drug peddler named Kerry Kelvin Mednes on SV Road in Goregaon West at 6 pm on Sunday in possession of 20 LSD dots.
However, while they were about to take Mendes in their vehicle, three local residents — Vipul Krishna Agre (25), Yusuf Amin Shaikh (24) and his father Amin Abdul Latif Shaikh (55) — allegedly intervened.
A senior Mumbai Police officer said that the locals asked the NCB officials why they were taking Mendes away. “Since the NCB officials were dressed in civil clothes, the locals did not believe they were law enforcement authorities. They did not allow them to take Mendes away without showing some identification. During the altercation, the locals slapped two NCB men,” said the officer.
In a statement released on Monday evening, the NCB described the incident as follows – “They (the locals) started abusing and pushing the team members and fought with the team. They surrounded and damaged the official vehicle and also damaged a pair of handcuffs. Their efforts were directed towards freeing the accused. They gathered a mob which surrounded the NCB team. The NCB officials showed exemplary courage and thwarted the attempts of these persons. They also tried to calm down the mob.”
The agency’s superintendent, V V Singh, and sepoy P S Reddy sustained minor injuries.
The NCB then contacted the local police for assistance in securing Mendes and the contraband. Agre, a merchant navy professional, Yusuf, who works as a civil engineer, and his father, who works as a tailor, were booked for assaulting the NCB officials and preventing them from discharging their duties. They were produced in court on Monday and remanded to judicial custody.
The police said that none of the accused have a prior criminal record.