MIDC Police have taken major action and dismantle a racket involved in the production and supply of mephedrone (MD). So far, three accused have been arrested in connection with this case. Police have seized goods worth ₹36.57 lakh, including 566 grams of mephedrone, two cars, six mobile phones, and other materials from the accused.
This operation took place in the MIDC Police Station jurisdiction on June 7 at around 11:45 PM. During patrolling, a red Skoda car speeding from pump house subway towards Kanosha junction was intercepted and searched. Farhan Gulzar Khan, 36, a resident of Jogeshwari East and the driver of the car, was detained and questioned.
During the search, 71 grams of mephedrone were recovered from him, along with ₹2.80 lakh in cash and a Skoda car valued at ₹8 lakh. Farhan has 13 criminal cases registered against him at various police stations in Mumbai.
During interrogation, the name of Pratik Jadhav, 24, a resident of Palghar who supplied mephedrone to Farhan, came to light. Acting on a tip-off, police conducted a raid in Palghar and arrested Pratik. They recovered 215 grams of mephedrone (worth ₹8.60 lakh) and a Maruti Swift Dzire car valued at ₹4.60 lakh from him.
Further investigation, based on technical analysis and interrogation, revealed the name of Vijay Khatke, 43, an M.Sc. in Chemistry and a resident of Boisar, Palghar. He is believed to be involved in the production of mephedrone. A raid was conducted at his ‘Prochem Pharmaceutical Lab’ (Meena Chemicals, Tarapur MIDC, Palghar), where 280 grams of ready-to-use mephedrone (worth ₹11.20 lakh), along with raw materials and production equipment, were seized.
The three accused were produced in the Andheri court and have been remanded to police custody for seven days.
This action was carried out by Senior Inspector Rajiv Chavan of MIDC Police Station, along with Investigating Officer Mahesh Gurav and his team, under the guidance of Mumbai Deputy Commissioner Datta Nalawade.
The police are continuing their efforts to identify and apprehend other individuals involved in this racket.
