MSc Chemisty graduate arrested for manufacturing MD

On a weekend when there were no workers in the factory, he experimented with producing mephedrone and was successful. He then began manufacturing the drug regularly on weekends

MUMBAI: A 43-year-old MSc Chemistry graduate was arrested on Tuesday for manufacturing mephedrone at a chemical factory in Boisar, where he was employed.

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The accused, Vijay Katke, a MSc Chemistry graduate, was employed at the factory as a chemical engineer. On a weekend when there were no workers in the factory, he experimented with producing mephedrone and was successful. He then began manufacturing the drug regularly on weekends, said a police officer. On Tuesday, the police raided the factory and seized mephedrone worth ₹11.2 lakh.

The act came into light last week when the police caught Farhan Khan, a Jogeshwari resident, with 71 grams of mephedrone worth ₹2.8 lakh and arrested him. On being questioned, Khan told the police that a cab driver, Pratik Jadhav, delivered the drugs to him.

Following the lead, the police tracked down Jadhav. During interrogation, Jadhav told the police that he obtained the drugs from Katke and revealed the address of the chemical factory where Katke had been manufacturing the drug for the past few weeks.

The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation police and Palghar police raided the chemical factory, seized the drug and arrested Katke on Tuesday. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The three accused, Katke, Khan and Jadhav, were produced in a court and were remanded to police custody on Tuesday.