Arrested Mumbai drug peddler is friends with big Bollywood stars, say police
Bakul Chanderia, caught with drugs worth Rs 12 lakh, was arrested five years ago with cocaine at a party attended by celebrities, cricketers
The name of a ‘foreign national’ has cropped up in the arrest of a key narcotics supplier by the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police. The accused has also told the police during questioning that he is “friends” with several big-time Bollywood actors.
On Saturday, 45-year-old Bakul Chanderia was arrested with 106 gm of cocaine and LSD dots worth Rs4 lakh collectively worth Rs12.48 lakh. He operated the drug racket under the guise of running a video library at Pali Hill in Bandra. The arrest was made after a month-long undercover operation.
With the arrest, police officers claimed to have to have put a significant stop to the supply of narcotics in the party scene in the city.
After Chanderia was arrested by the ANC Azad Maidan unit, the police seized his two cell phones. The police are checking the phones which they believe could hold the key to his links and contacts. They will request for the call data record of the phones to get leads in the case.
The drugs seized from Chanderia’s Khar residence were being supplied to struggling models and actors living in the western suburbs.
In the probe so far, the police have found that Chanderia supplied drugs for parties held in and around the city and to those living in Oshiwara. The police said that Chanderia has studied till Class 7 but made his way to the high-profile party circuit.
The police are checking for the accomplices ‘delivery boys’ which Chanderia had and how he supplied drugs.
This is not the first time Chanderia was arrested. In 2012, the Khar police had arrested him for possessing 4 grams of cocaine from a terrace party where celebrities and cricket players were caught consuming drugs. About 100 people were detained. Around 86 of them, including two cricket players and an actor couple had tested positive for drugs.
Deputy commissioner of police (ANC) Shivdeep Lande said they were probing the case from all angles and it was too early to comment further.
Accused dropped hints on YouTube
A channel on YouTube, created by arrested drug peddler Bakul Chanderia to upload trance music videos, is suspected to have been used to drop hints about the arrival of high-grade cocaine and LSD dots among his celebrity clientele.
Chanderia was arrested by the anti-narcotics cell (ANC) on Saturday following a undercover operation for the past three months.
The ANC recovered 106 gm of cocaine and 90 LSD dots from his Khar residence. He had stashed the consignment for a weekend delivery.
ANC sources said Chanderia had created the YouTube channel around three years ago and named it ‘Full Power’.
Before his arrest, he had uploaded 18 trance music videos. The ANC officers suspect that the videos had hints for his customers on the availability of the type of drugs.
“First, he would leave a message on his Facebook page about the latest music album on his channel. The symbolism and imagery used in some videos were hints for LSD dots (carrying images of gods and other religious symbols),” sources said.
When contacted, deputy commissioner of police (ANC) Shivdeep Lande refused to comment, citing investigation secrecy. “It’s not proper to say anything now,” he said.