Mumbai police arrest one more accused in Rs 300 cr mephedrone seizure case; 18 nabbed so far

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The Mumbai Police, which seized mephedrone worth Rs 300 crore in a two-month operation, has arrested another suspect who had allegedly provided the formula for manufacturing the banned substance and the manpower to set up a factory in Maharashtra's Nashik district, an official said on Friday, reported the PTI.

With the latest arrest, the police have apprehended 18 persons for their involvement so far, he said.

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According to the PTI, a team from Sakinaka police reportedly arrested Harish Pant from his residence in Vasai in neighbouring Palghar district on Thursday evening, the official said.

Harish Pant, who hailed from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, had allegedly provided the formula for manufacturing mephedrone in large quantities and had helped the other accused Lalit Patil and his brother Bhushan Patil to set up the factory, he said.

Pant was produced before a court on Friday along with the other accused and has been remanded to police custody till October 30, the official said.

In an operation spanning two months, the police seized mephedrone worth Rs 300 crore, arrested various people from different cities and busted a drug manufacturing unit at Shindegaon MIDC industrial area in Nashik district on October 5.

The accused persons had rented the place to set up a manufacturing unit in the name of another person by informing the owner that they were going to establish an insecticide factory, he said.

According to officials, some of the arrested accused were also involved in the Chakan MIDC Pune drugs case.

Meanwhile, in an another incident, the police in Maharashtra's Thane city on Friday arrested a 26-year-old man after recovering mephedrone, a banned drug, worth Rs 6.71 lakh from him, an official said, reported news agency PTI.

The suspect was intercepted near a washing centre at Bhadwad of Bhiwandi on Thursday night, reported PTI.

A search revealed that he was carrying 110 grams of mephedrone, valued at nearly Rs 6.71 lakh, the official said, reported PTI.

He was later arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, said the station house officer of Shantinagar police station, reported PTI.

In another incident, the Navi Mumbai police have arrested a 32-year-old man after recovering charas, a banned drug, worth nearly Rs 5 lakh from him an official said on Friday, reported PTI.

Accused Sanjeev Prakash Patil was intercepted at Turbhe MIDC locality in the early hours of Thursday. He had arrived on a two-wheeler and was waiting for someone, the official said, reported PTI.

The police recovered 1.3 kg of charas valued at Rs 5.1 lakh from him and seized the motorbike, said the official, adding that Patil is a resident of Nerul and works as a tempo driver, reported PTI.

The Turbhe police have registered a case against Patil under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, reported PTI.

(with PTI inputs)