Task force sleuths arrested a 29-year-old Yemeni national for illegal possession of narcotic substances here on Wednesday. On a tip-off, police raided the house of Emad Saif Mohammed at Masab Tank and seized 81 bundles of Khat leaves from his possession.
Saif sells the leaves to other foreigners in the city.
He used to procure the leaves from one Javed in Colaba in Mumbai. He would receive shipment of the leaves from as far as Ethiopia and Yemen for Rs 400 per bundle and sell each bundle for anything between Rs 500 and 600 to fellow Yemenis or other foreign nationals, mainly from Somolia and Ethiopia.
The accused had come to India in 2010 on a student visa after finishing his 12th class in his country.
Before his arrest, he was pursuing an MBA degree, and was studying at Sahiti College at Masab Tank in the city. Recently, his visa has been extended up to April 2014. Khat leaves are banned in India and fall under Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, and come under the purview of narcotic and psychotropic substances.
Khat is basically a flowery shrub which has a stimulant effect similar to that of cocaine. The leaves are mainly grown in Somalia, Yemen, and Ethiopia. The leaves are chewed for consummation, and are even mixed in tea decoction.
Those who take the leaves experience an increase in blood pressure and hear beat immediately.
Other effects of the drug are liver failure, throat cancer, mild depression, insomnia, and decay of the teeth.
