Six arrested as Anti Narcotics cell busts MD factory in Khopoli

Navi Mumbai The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Navi Mumbai has arrested six accused and seized Mephedrone (MD powder) worth ₹5

Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai police narcotics cell bust MD manufacturing factory in Raigad. Six held , Press Conference at CP Office CBD in Navi Mumbai, India, on Thursday, December 14, 2023. (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO)

The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Navi Mumbai has arrested six accused and seized Mephedrone (MD powder) worth ₹5.39 crore along with raw materials worth ₹45,000 which was being used to manufacture the narcotic drug. The police also seized 330 litre chemicals and 25 kg powder from the accused who were manufacturing MD in a rented shop space in Khopoli and storing the same at a farm house in Khalapur.

The first arrest in the case was made on December 3 after the police received an information about an accused who was to come to Shirdhon area in Panvel to sell the drug. The accused identified as Shadab Saed Sayyed (42) from Mumbra was nabbed with 61 grams of MD worth ₹6.10 lakh. His questioning led the police to his associates and the ANC team nabbed Vajhul Vafa Chaudhary (55) a resident of Mumbra, Sohail Munnavar Ali Lambe (38) a resident of Badlapur and Saifullah Shaikh alias Saif Batata (28), a resident of Oshiwara.

“During the further interrogation of the accused, it was found that the accused were manufacturing the drug in a factory that they set up in Khopoli and our team raided the location,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Amit Kale said.

The factory was rented out around six months ago by the group on the pretext of opening a paint factory. A deposit of ₹3 lakh and monthly rent of ₹65,000 was being paid to the owner of the shop. “The owner was not aware of what was being manufactured inside and he believed the tenants when they claimed they manufactured paint,” police inspector Neeraj Chaudhary (ANC) said.

According to police, it is suspected that though the space was rented out six months ago, production may have started around three months back. On Wednesday, their two more associates identified as Mohsin Ansari (36) a resident of Mumbra and Siddha Pal (33) a resident of Badlapur, were arrested.

DCP Kale said that the whole team worked as a syndicate. Batata was the one who financed the whole work. “Batata used to pay the amount required for the rent and also paid the deposit money,” Kale said. Batata and Chaudhary have a history of being arrested previously in drug case. “These two learnt how to make MD from various inmates they met while in jail and through the information available online and decided to manufacture it themselves,” he added.

Lambe was the one who found the space on rent and rented it with the money given by Batata. Chaudhary provided the raw material required, Sayyed and Ansari helped in selling the MD that they made and Pal was the vendor who provided chemicals to them. After manufacturing the drug, it was being stocked up at a farm house in Khalapur, around eight km away from the manufacturing unit. The farm house was owned by Batata.

“All the accused are 12th pass out. We are investigating further if any more people are involved in this. We are also trying to trace the further links of the gang for distribution of the drug,” Chaudhary added.

The accused have been arrested under sections 8(c) (producing, manufacturing, possessing, selling, purchasing, transporting, using, consuming, importing, exporting any narcotic drug/psychotropic substance), 22(c) (punishment for contravention about psychotropic substances) and 29 (punishment for abetment and criminal conspiracy) of the NDPS Act. The accused were produced before Panvel Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) and have been remanded to police custody till December 16.