How troubled Mumbai father of teen MD addict busted cartel, got ‘drugs-on-bike’ seller arrested

The Mumbai man named several cartel members in his letter to the home ministry, which led to arrest of a major supplier

A drastic change in his teenage son’s behaviour compelled a 40-year-old Mumbai resident to monitor his movements. What shocked him was the realisation that his son was addicted to the drug ‘meow meow’.

Thousands of youngsters across India are reportedly addicted to meow meow or mephedrone, a drug that was banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2015.(HT File Photo)

Taking swift action, the man first admitted his son to a de-addiction centre. He then began investigating and found that many young people from Dongri, several of whom go to the same college as his son, were addicted to the drug. He discovered several meow meow suppliers in his locality, which prompted him to write to the Devendra Fadnavis-led home ministry in April.

Thousands of youngsters across India are reportedly addicted to meow meow or mephedrone, a drug that was banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act in 2015.

What is meow meow?

Meow meow, or mephedrone, is a synthetic stimulant. It is commonly found in the form of tablets or a white, off-white or brown powder. It is also called white cocaine, M-cat, drone, bath salt and China cocaine

Users experience an increase in energy, self-confidence, talkativeness and euphoria

The drug also enhances a person’s sense of touch and empathy

It causes sensory distortion

However, MD causes loss of appetite, muscle clenching and tremors

Users may suffer from teeth grinding, headaches, anxiety, elevated blood pressure, chest pains and a fast or irregular heartbeat

They may find it difficult to urinate and their body temperature may fluctuate

“I am a Dongri resident. I recently noticed a few abnormal changes in the habits and behaviour of my child, a first-year college student. For the past month, I started keeping tabs on my son’s activities, his friends and his movements. I found out that my son was addicted to mephedrone,” reads the letter titled ‘Drug peddling and abuse, with Mumbai police hand in glove’.

“I kept tabs on my son’s activities, which confirmed that his group and several other young people were addicted to this dangerous drug. They are spoiling their life and their career. I did my research to understand the root of this evil. I am sharing this information with you as you can use your power and save our society,” it reads.

The man named several key players in a drug cartel, which was highly active in south Mumbai. The main distributor Abdul Gani alias Papa Bakree , 48, was arrested by Mumbai crime branch’s anti-narcotics cell (ANC).

“Acting on the letter, we arrested the distributor and recovered 55 grams of MD worth Rs1.10 lakh. A court granted us custody of him till May 19,” ANC chief, DCP Shivdeep Lande told HT.

Gani is a school drop-out , who would ride a bicycle around Mumbai, distributing drugs, said police. The ANC is now searching for Gani’s boss, Danny Chikna, who is also mentioned in the letter.