Deported trafficker claims he supplied drugs to raves for actors, politicians

Police are yet to verify the claims. The investigation is only at a preliminary stage, and the celebrities would be questioned if required, they said

MUMBAI: Details of rave parties, whose guests included Bollywood A-listers, other film celebrities and politicians, are emerging from the interrogation of a drug trafficker recently deported from the UAE.

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The parties, in Mumbai and Dubai, were organised by Mohammad Salim Mohammad Suhail Shaikh, a close aide of fugitive drug kingpin Salim Dola, who is a key member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang.

In their remand application to the Esplanade Court on Thursday, the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch said that Shaikh, a resident of Nagpada in South Mumbai, had arranged lavish parties allegedly attended by Ibrahim’s deceased sister Haseena Parkar’s son Alishah, actors Nora Fatehi, Shraddha Kapoor and her brother Siddharth Kapoor. Also allegedly present were film producers Abbas-Mustan, along with a few other celebrities such as rapper Loka, social media influencer Orhan Awatramani alias Orry, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Zeeshan Siddique.

Police are yet to verify these claims made by Shaikh. Underlining that the investigation is only at a preliminary stage, they said they would question the celebrities, if required.

Police believe Shaikh can provide vital clues to an international drugs and hawala network linked to key gangsters and traffickers. The trail opened up in August 2022, when the Mumbai Crime Branch and Ghatkopar Anti-Narcotics Cell arrested Worli resident, Mohammad Shahrukh Mohammad Shafi Shaikh, 28, in Nagpada, in Mumbai. They recovered mephedrone (MD) worth ₹1.19 lakhs from him.

The investigation led to the arrest of several drugs suppliers but the big break came in March 2024, when police busted a mephedrone-manufacturing facility on a farm in Sangli district.

The facility was controlled by wanted drug trafficker, Salim Dola, and his son Taher, said sources in the Crime Branch. Taher was recently deported from the UAE and arrested by the Mumbai police in June this year, while a relative, Mustaffa Mohammad Khubawala, was deported a month later.

“The raw material required to make MD in Sangli was provided by Khubbawala from Surat, who bought the chemicals from various industrial areas in Gujarat. From Sangli, the bulk of the manufactured drugs would be sent to Mira Road,” said a police officer.

The traffickers used luxury cars like Mercedes and BMWs to transport the drugs, to avoid raising suspicion, and the money collected from distributors was sent to the key players who operated the network from Dubai via hawala channels, the officer said.

Mohammad Salim Mohammad Suhail Shaikh, who was arrested on November 5 after he was deported from the UAE, has confessed to setting up several drug manufacturing units and a supply network.

“Mohammad Salim Mohammad Suhail Shaikh fled Mumbai some time after February 2023, following the arrest of people linked to him. During interrogation, he claimed he used to arrange parties in Mumbai and overseas, and supplied all kinds of narcotic drugs to the celebrities who attended these events,” said a police officer. The narcotic drugs included cocaine, MDMA (Ecstasy) pills, hashish (cannabis), charas and Mephedrone, the officer revealed.

“Certain revelations have been made to us and we are verifying facts,” said Joint Commissioner of Police, Mumbai Crime branch, Lakhmi Gautam.