In the NESCO drug overdose case, investigators have uncovered significant financial transactions exceeding Rs 50 lakh in the bank account of one of the arrested accused, Zia Jacob, over the past seven months.
Police sources revealed that Zia had frequent monetary exchanges with co-accused Ayush Sahitya, with a long-standing history of calls and messages over WhatsApp and Snapchat.
Further scrutiny of bank statements has also established financial links between Zia and other accused, including Anand Patel, Vineet Gerelani, and Shubh Agarwal, indicating a wider network of transactions.
During interrogation, Sahitya disclosed the name of Zia’s live-in partner, saying he is known only as “Mark”. Sahitya further revealed that he used to procure drugs from Mark and would transfer the payment to Zia’s bank account.
Mark has since gone underground since April 14, with no contact with anyone. Police suspect that he may have fled the country. They are now investigating whether Mark is the main drug supplier operating behind the scenes, or whether Zia herself was actively supplying drugs to the other accused.
They are also probing whether he used her bank account for illegal financial routing, similar to cyber fraud patterns. Officers have, however, not found any financial transactions linked to Mark. Zia claims she has not been in contact with him for the past year. This strengthens the suspicion that Ayush Sahitya is the primary supplier, said a cop.
The Vanrai police also summoned Mark’s brother for questioning but he said they have not been in contact for several years either.
Modus Operandi
The investigation has revealed:
. Drugs were allegedly delivered through courier and porter services
. Payments were made via UPI transactions
. Communication was conducted using Snapchat and WhatsApp, and chat histories were deleted to avoid detection
Bar dancing past uncovered
“We have also found that Zia was previously involved in a bar-related case. She was a bar dancer caught during a raid in Andheri along with four other women. An FIR was registered at the Oshiwara police station in 2020-2021. Zia and the other women were sent to a rehabilitation centre,” said an officer. Zia, however, claims to be an actor.
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