Gujarat: Spice racket busted in Mehsana, 5 held
A lawyer and four others have been arrested for allegedly looting godowns in Unjha town of Gujarat’s Mehsana district, Asia’s largest cumin trading centre, and stealing spice stock worth Rs 3 crore, police said on Sunday.
The accused, including a Patan-based lawyer, allegedly used duplicate keys to break into two godowns on the Unawa Highway between December 12, 2025, and January 2, and stole several hundred sacks of cumin trucks at night, Mehsana Deputy Superintendent of Police Dineshsinh Chauhan said.
Following investigations, the accused were arrested in the last month, he said. The stolen spice belonged to two traders who lodged complaints at the Unawa police station on January 4 after they discovered the stock missing, and two FIRs had been registered, the official said.
The local crime branch received information that some men had been contacting traders in Unjha, offering cumin at unusually low prices, Chauhan said.
“Based on the CCTV footage and information received by the police, a truck driver was identified and questioned. This led the police to one of the accused, Jumma Khan, after which the entire network was uncovered,” he said.
He said that the police have arrested the main accused, Ikram Memon, a lawyer practising in the Patan district court, along with Wajahat Khan, Jumma Khan, Sadiq Memon and Gaurav Patel.
Two others, Delhi-based Imran Jamil and his unidentified accomplice, are absconding, he added. “From mid-December to January 2, traders had deployed a security guard at the godowns. However, instead of staying put, he would leave after checking the locks every day,” Chauhan said.
Investigations revealed that the accused had prepared duplicate keys after examining the original locks, and they entered the godowns at night using these, he said. “Labourers and trucks were brought in, and cumin worth nearly Rs 3 crore was stolen in 10 trips,” the official said.
According to the police, the accused lawyer played a key role in forming a local gang to execute the theft after Delhi-based Jamil came up with the plan.
Jamil, who is absconding, is an expert in making keys and allegedly prepared duplicate keys, police said, affing that Gaurav Patel’s role was to keep watch on police movement, while Jumma Khan arranged trucks and labourers.
The other accused, Sadiq Memon, who has a criminal background, assisted in the execution of the theft, and Wajahat Khan was involved in selling the stolen cumin in the market, they said.
The accused posed as farmers and sold a portion of the stolen cumin in Deesa and Unjha market yards, Chauhan said.
He said that the police have so far recovered Rs 45 lakh in cash from the arrested accused and seized 121 sacks of unsold cumin.
