Thane, Apr 20 (PTI) Police have arrested three persons and seized mephedrone, a banned drug, worth Rs 8.80 lakh and five swords from their possession in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Tuesday.

Five persons were spotted moving in a suspicious manner near a slum colony in Mira Bhayander area on Sunday, he said.

The police caught three of them and seized 80 gm of mephedrone powder worth Rs 8.80 lakh from one of the them, identified as Sandeep Nangre (32), he said.

The other two who were caught were identified as Suryakant Karalkar (27) and Shakir Shayyed (34), both working as drivers, he said.

Five swords were also seized from the accused, the official said.

Efforts were on to nab two others who managed to escape, he said.

A case was registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and the Arms Act, the police added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)