27 October,2023 06:04 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Lalit Patil
A court in Mumbai's Andheri has decided to extend the police custody of Lalit Patil, a notorious figure in the drug trade, along with his driver Sachin Wagh and accused Harish Pant, until October 30 in a drug-related case, stated a report in ANI. Lalit Patil is alleged to be the mastermind behind the multi-crore mephedrone racket, which was exposed by the Pimpri-Chinchwad police in 2020.
According to the police, Harish Pant, who was apprehended on Thursday, possessed knowledge of the formula for manufacturing MD (mephedrone). He disclosed this formula to Lalit Patil and his brother Bhushan Patil, leading to the establishment of an MD production facility in Nashik, the report stated.
According to the report, during court proceedings, the police emphasized the need for the three suspects to be interrogated together, requiring the transfer of Bhushan Patil's custody from Pune Police.
Furthermore, the police stated that it is essential to gather information from Harish Pant regarding the sources of procurement for the chemicals and materials used in MD production.
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The report by news agency ANI stated that previously, on October 23, the Andheri Court in Mumbai had extended Lalit Patil's police custody until October 27. Patil had been arrested in Chennai after escaping from Pune's Sassoon General Hospital on October 2. Lalit Patil's arrest had reportedly led to the dismantling of a drug manufacturing and distribution network that operated under the guise of a pharmaceutical unit.
On October 19, Pune Police detained two women from Nashik in connection with the Lalit Patil drug case and secured their police custody until October 23.
In another development, Mumbai Police confiscated 20 kg of mephedrone (MD) drugs, believed to have been discarded by Sachin Wagh, Lalit Patil's driver, into a water body in Nashik. The seized drugs, valued at approximately Rs 40 crore, were recovered in a search operation conducted by the Saki Naka police, the report stated.
Additionally, the arrest of the drug mafia has sparked a feud between the ruling Shiv Sena and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), with allegations that the previous Uddhav Thackeray government had connections with the mafia.
