Drugs unit in Kolhapur farmhouse busted by cops. Mumbai lawyer is prime suspect

The Anti Narcotics cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police claims to have seized mephedrone and raw material needed to manufacture drugs with a street value of Rs. 2.35 crore from the Kolhapur farmhouse of a Mumbai lawyer.

MUMBAI: The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai police has busted a mephedrone manufacturing unit allegedly running out of a Kolhapur farmhouse of a Mumbai-based lawyer, a senior police officer said on Tuesday. Two persons including a 35-year-old woman have been arrested in this connection.

A Mumbai lawyer is the prime suspect in the drugs haul from a Kolhapur farmhouse, which ANC of the Mumbai police said, is owned by a city-based lawyer. He visited the farmhouse every week to pick up supplies (Getty Images)

ANC claims to have seized mephedrone and raw material needed to manufacture drugs with a street value of Rs. 2.35 crore from the farmhouse.

The two persons arrested by the team were identified by the police as Nikhil Lohar, 29, the caretaker of the farmhouse, and Cristina Maglin, alias Ayesha alias Simran, 35, a drug peddler from Sakinaka.

ANC deputy commissioner of police Datta Nalawade said a police team first arrested Cristina Maglin from Bandra on Saturday on charges of possessing 50gm of mephedrone. She named a Mumbai lawyer who she claimed, sold her mephedrone - it is a synthetic stimulant drug that is known by many street names including meow-meow - for supply to her clients in the Bandra area.

Nalawade said an ANC team tried to verify the information revealed by Cristina Maglin and traced the farmhouse mentioned by her to Dholgarwadi village in Chandgad taluka of Kolhapur district, 375km from Mumbai.

“We have seized 38.7 kilograms of raw material, chemicals, 120 gram MD total worth Rs. 2.35 crore. We have arrested Nikhil Lohar who have s also confirmed the name of a lawyer, Rajkumar Arjunrao Rajhuns,” Nalawade added.

HT is trying to contact the lawyer for his comments.

Nalawade said Rajhans is on the run and attempts are being made to trace him.

The senior police officer said Nikhil Lohar, the caretaker of Rajhans’ farmhouse, told them that the lawyer used to make weekly visits to his farmhouse to pick up mephedrone packets that were sold in Mumbai.

Cristina Maglin was produced before a local court and has been remanded to police custody till November 19.