Maha’s Breaking Bad: 2 brothers held for cooking MD in Solapur, raw materials worth ₹116 cr seized

The accused, identified as Atul Gawli, 32, and Rahul Gawli, 27, both residents of Solapur, were arrested in Khar on Sunday. “On a tip-off, we detained the two brothers. When they were searched, we seized 5.089 kilograms of MD, worth around ₹10.17 crore,” senior police inspector, Daya Nayak of Unit 9, crime branch, said

Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch has busted a Mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit in Solapur and arrested two brothers with 8 kilograms of the synthetic stimulant and 60 kilograms of the raw material required to manufacture the contraband. According to the police, the value of the seized contraband is around ₹116 crore.

During the interrogation, the duo revealed that they had manufactured the synthetic drugs themselves at Chincholi MIDC in Solapur. “Accordingly, when our teams went to Solapur they found 3 kgs of MD and 60 kilograms of raw materials like methylene, propane, acetic acid and bromine used for manufacturing the synthetic stimulant,” Nayak added. (HT PHOTO)

The accused, identified as Atul Gawli, 32, and Rahul Gawli, 27, both residents of Solapur, were arrested in Khar on Sunday. “On a tip-off, we detained the two brothers. When they were searched, we seized 5.089 kilograms of MD, worth around ₹10.17 crore,” senior police inspector, Daya Nayak of Unit 9, crime branch, said.

During the interrogation, the duo revealed that they had manufactured the synthetic drugs themselves at Chincholi MIDC in Solapur. “Accordingly, when our teams went to Solapur they found 3 kgs of MD and 60 kilograms of raw materials like methylene, propane, acetic acid and bromine used for manufacturing the synthetic stimulant,” Nayak added.

DCP Rajtilak Roshan of the crime branch said that both the brothers are SSC dropouts and have worked in chemical factories in the past. “They got the idea of manufacturing MD while working in the companies. Thereafter, they rented a 21,000 square feet plant, paying ₹30,000 rent per month. They even made three laboratories and used to manufacture and sell the manufactured MD themselves. They had hired only three watchmen, however, none of them had any idea what they were doing in the laboratory. They told people that they were manufacturing chemicals,” he said.

They had named the company Shree Shanky and had rented the premises somewhere in February this year. “We suspect they have been manufacturing the contraband since then and delivered a consignment of two kilograms of MD in the city earlier. We are inquiring who all is involved in the racket and who they sold the drugs to. Both the accused were produced before a court which remanded the duo in crime branch custody till October 19. Both the accused were booked under various sections of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985,” Roshan said.