Thane crime branch unravels rave party drug network, arrests key supplier
The Thane crime branch has apprehended three more suspects involved in the recent rave party raid, including the primary supplier of LSD.
Thane: Three more suspects were apprehended by the Thane crime branch, including the primary supplier responsible for providing the LSD drug at the recent rave party intercepted by the police on Ghodbunder Road during New Year’s Eve, according to police sources.
On December 31, the Thane crime branch conducted a raid on Ghodbunder Road, uncovering a rave party and detaining 95 youths who had assembled for a rave party on New Year’s Eve. Two organisers were arrested, and narcotics substances were confiscated during the operation.
Following the interrogation of Tejas Kubal and Sujay Mahadev, two accused from the initial arrests, the police obtained information about LSD suppliers located in Kalwa and Thane City. The suspects, Aryan Shelar, 20, and Prathamesh Ingle, 23, catered to the demand in their respective areas, serving customers who frequented rave parties.
Both belonging to poor families, Shelar and Ingle entered the drug trade due to the growing popularity of rave parties among their peers. They often received orders from the primary rave party organisers, leading the police to further investigations.
According to sources, after these two were arrested and questioned, a new suspect, Krushnadev Mishra, 25, from Panvel, emerged during the inquiry. Mishra has been supplying drugs for seven years, sourcing LSD dots from Goa. Each dot, containing micrograms of the narcotic drug, was sold to customers for ₹15,000, with middlemen earning ₹200 to 300 per dot. The police have seized 1,000 milligrams of LSD in 40 dots so far.
Police investigations revealed that these parties were organised by the same organisers thrice during festive occasions. For Navratri and Diwali Pahat (1st day of Diwali), the parties had 50 customers each. The New Year’s Eve party had 95 customers and the organisers were expecting more than 150.
Police sources said the parties attracted boys and girls from poor to middle-class families, with an entry fee ranging from ₹1,000 to 1,500, including barbecue and soft drinks alongside the drugs.
The organisers, focusing on minimal arrangements such as lighting and a DJ, generated substantial income through drug sales. The recent bust revealed that the organisers had collected around ₹1 lakh in cash, aspiring to fulfill a New Year’s resolution of purchasing a new car.
In a surprising turn, the private plot owner where the rave party organised was identified as Ganesh Raut, a Thane Municipal Corporation peon, renting the plot for ₹10,000. Raut disclosed that the organisers had rented the premises three times in the recent past.
Punjabrao Ugale, additional CP crime, Thane police, stated, “Our team is working on every link, and we have arrested three layers of the accused involved in the case. They are in police custody. Further investigation with the landowner and other accused is ongoing.” All accused have been remanded in police custody until January 11 after being presented in the Thane court.