The Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Thane Police has arrested three individuals allegedly involved in the manufacture and distribution of mephedrone (MD) powder across Maharashtra. Police seized over 1 kg of the synthetic drug, valued at more than Rs 2.30 crore, and claimed to have busted an interstate drug syndicate and illegal manufacturing unit.
According to officials, on April 17, police constables Amol Desai and Pramod Jamdade received reliable information about a man planning to sell MD powder near Mumbra railway station. Acting swiftly, they informed senior officers and laid a trap at the location.
The accused, identified as Devesh Kumar Sharma (32), a resident of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, was detained and found in possession of 336 grams of MD powder worth Rs 67 lakh. During interrogation, Sharma revealed that he had transported the drug from Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai for sale.
An FIR was registered against him under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. He was produced in court and remanded in police custody for further investigation.
During questioning, Sharma named his supplier as Mohammad Qaiyum Hashmi, a resident of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Investigating Officer Nilesh More launched a deeper probe using technical surveillance. A police team was dispatched to Ayodhya to trace Hashmi.
The team learned that Hashmi ran a garment store named Maria Kids and Ladies Wear. Officers disguised themselves and stayed in the locality for five days to verify his identity and confirm intelligence inputs. They visited the store under the pretense of buying clothes and discovered that a factory had been set up behind the shop to manufacture MD powder.
Once confirmed, the Thane police alerted the Special Task Force (STF), and a joint raid was carried out on April 27. Hashmi and his associate, Bipin Patel, were arrested. Patel, a native of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, holds an MSc in Chemistry and was wanted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Madhya Pradesh. He is believed to be an expert in manufacturing synthetic drugs.
The raid led to the seizure of 812 grams of MD powder worth over Rs 1.6 crore, along with chemicals, equipment, and tools used in the manufacturing process. Both accused were produced in a local court in UP, granted transit remand, and later brought to Thane for further proceedings.
Police revealed that Hashmi already has two NDPS cases registered against him in Lucknow and Ayodhya, and a separate attempt to murder case lodged at the Mira Bhayandar police station. Similarly, Patel has NDPS cases registered in Ahmedabad and Madhya Pradesh.
