Mumbai cops bust BHMS dropout’s drug lab in Kandivali slum

The Malwani police were led to Chowdhary by a drug peddler arrested with mephedrone and thinner

The Malwani police have uncovered a clandestine laboratory in the slums of Kandivali West, where a first-year dropout of Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine & Surgery (BHMS) allegedly produced mephedrone (MD) and supplied it to peddlers across the city. During a raid on the lab, police caught the accused red-handed and seized various raw materials and chemicals, including ready MD, with an estimated street value of about Rs 1.17 crore.

The arrested accused, identified as Noor Alam Mehboob Alam Chowdhary, 24, rented the modest dwelling four months ago. The house was equipped with a single bed and a single platform. The platform served as Chowdhary's makeshift laboratory to manufacture MD. He used raw materials procured from local stores and online shopping platforms.

Arrest led to lab
The discovery of the laboratory was set in motion by the arrest of Abrar Ibrahim Shaikh, 30, from Malwani with one gram of MD and 100 thinner bottles. During the interrogation, Shaikh, a drug peddler, disclosed the involvement of Chowdhary in the drug trade.

The rented one-room house where Chowdhary set up his library

Under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ajaykumar Bansal of Zone XI and Senior Police Inspector Chimaji Adhav, Assistant Police Inspector Nilesh Salunkhe and his team worked tirelessly, leveraging technical analysis and informant assistance to trace Chowdhary to gully number eight, room number seven, Samta Welfare Society, Ganesh Nagar, Kandivali West. The subsequent raid on his residence revealed a fully equipped drug manufacturing laboratory in a 150-square-foot room.

"Chowdhary, a medical college dropout with a keen interest in chemistry, discovered the intricacies of producing MD through discussions with friends. Motivated by this knowledge, he embarked on setting up the lab, conducting extensive research online, and procuring the necessary substances and chemicals from various international shipping portals," said an officer.

"Although initial attempts were unsuccessful, Chowdhary eventually succeeded. He distributed samples of the ready drug to close friends and addicts for testing before commencing bulk production," the officer added.

‘Making medicines'
Chowdhary had informed neighbours that he was manufacturing medicines. Police are interrogating him to unravel his modus operandi and the source of funding for acquiring raw materials and apparatus for manufacturing MD.

Arrested accused Noor Alam Mehboob Alam Chowdhary

Chowdhary supplied MD to small peddlers in Malwani and Kandivali and subsequently expanded his clientele to include peddlers from Nalasopara and other parts of Mumbai. The police have identified several peddlers who purchased MD drugs directly from Chowdhary, and more arrests are anticipated.

DCP Bansal said, "We have obtained the names of the peddlers to whom he had sold the drug. We are verifying Chowdhary's claims and ascertaining the prices at which he sold the drug." Chowdhary has been charged with possession and drug manufacturing, and further investigations in the case are underway.

Rs 1.17 cr
Street value of mephedrone seized