Appointment of SPP likely; police to go after distributors, buyers of MD racket

The Pimpri-Chinchwad police are likely to get the backing of a special public prosecutor (SPP) in the drug bust of Mephedrone (MD) in Chakan which has led to the

The Pimpri-Chinchwad police are likely to get the backing of a special public prosecutor (SPP) in the drug bust of Mephedrone (MD) in Chakan which has led to the arrest of 20 people and recovery of cash worth over Rs 85,00,000.

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“The police have to send an application for the appointment of an SPP. That application was reviewed and I was approached and I have given my consent. However, I have not received an official order. Paperwork is awaited,” said advocate Shishir Hiray.

With a belief that major players have been arrested; the police are now planning to go after the distributors of the massive quantity of drugs that have been sold. Of the 132kg drugs produced at Ranjangoan MIDC, and at least 15kg drugs produced at Karjat and Raigad, only 20kg was recovered by the police. The remaining is believed to have been sold throughout the lockdown months, according to commissioner Krishna Prakash of Pimpri Chinchwad police.

“The burettes, pipettes, chemical flasks that have been seized from these factories have been sent for chemical analysis at the Forensic Science Laboratory. A forensic audit will be conducted in order to track the financial dealings of the drugs’ sale while cyber experts have also been roped in by the police for technical analysis in the case, according to commissioner Prakash.

The police have also found that the men involved had found places in Gujarat to expand their operation. The sale of the produced drugs is believed to have reached into multiple states of the country.

“After the initial bust, the arrests and recovery were done and dusted. Everything that followed was technical analysis of the case. The Nigerian man who, along with Afzal, was one of the top distributors, did not co-operate. Plus, much time had already passed so the people involved were aware and on the run. Our teams were working day and night. In Vadodara, where Arvind was arrested, our officials were dressed in a burqa to avoid detection,” said Sudhir Hiremath, deputy commissioner of police, crime, Pimpri-Chinchwad police.

As the six men arrested last have been remanded to police custody until December 18, the police are expecting more updates from other districts in the case.