Notorious 5 behind udta Mumbai!

Crackdowns on drug rings by the authorities in recent years have brought the spotlight on those involved in the synthetic drug supply chain midday looks at five major figures from the world of narcotics whose activities highlight the fiercely profitdriven nature of the tradeAddressing loopholes in the drugenforcement system helped the authorities crack down on synthetic drug rings Representation PicInvestigations brought to the fore the challenge of cracking down on drug syndicates which receive support from political and police networks Authorities faced the daunting task of dismantling this nexus but they prioritised cleaning up their departments first addressing any loopholes within the system This strategy enabled them to systematically target the entire network from the individuals involved to the factories producing the drugsHere are some of the major figures who have been found responsible for fuelling the cityrsquos drug problemKailash RajputThe lsquoMD pioneerrsquoThe first name that comes to mind when discussing mephedrone MD is Kailash Rajput 52 the kingpin who is said to have introduced the synthetic drug to India according to sources from central and state agencies A senior official even called him a pioneer of mephedrone in Maharashtra Rajputrsquos came to prominence when he was arrested by the Air Intelligence Unit in 2013 with ketamine that he meant to supply abroad He was jailed but was acquitted because of a court order The first thing he did was leave the country and then it was business as usualldquoRajput who is believed to be in London supplies party drugs such as ephedrine ketamine meow meow MD and fentanyl which are manufactured in India but financed by himrdquo said a police officer Ephedrine and ecstasy MDMA are used by partygoers in the city and state The arrest of Rajputrsquos brother Kamal by the Mumbai Crime Branch confirmed suspicions that his sibling was operating out of London These inputs will be used by central agencies to bring Rajput backIn 2016 Rajputrsquos name came up again when the Thane police busted a mephedrone racket allegedly involving Vicky Goswami and Mamta Kulkarni ldquoHe is absconding and the Delhi special cell DRI Narcotics Control Bureau NCB and others are on the lookout for him The Mumbai Crime Branch has put out a lookout circular against himrdquo said a police officer Sources said Rajput was even intercepted by the UK police and later released over lack of evidence ldquoHe is married and his children study in Dubai He has four brothersrdquo said an officerInvestigating agencies have found that Rajput was manufacturing drugs across Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh while running the operation from UK ldquoThe mephedrone was then supplied using various routes and techniques From Andhra it was supplied to Satara and then to Pune that too via car Right from manufacturing to distribution all was carried out by Rajput from UK He has visited Dubai and Germanyrdquo said sources from the Crime BranchArif BhujwalaDongribased kingpinArif Bhujwala a kingpin from Dongri established an MD laboratory at his residence less than a kilometre away from the Dongri police station He was arrested by the NCB from Navi Mumbai on January 20 2021 from Raigad district in connection with a drugs case A week prior to his arrest the NCB reached Bhujwalas Dongri residence to conduct a raid only to find he had fled Bhujwala is believed to be a close aide of Dawood Ibrahimrsquos brother AneesAccording to the NCB Bhujwala became one of the biggest MD suppliers in Mumbai and across the country over the past five years NCB sources said that as per the agencyrsquos initial investigation it was found that he invested in property worth R100 crore and also owned multiple highend cars and bikes some of which have been seized Bhujwala had been on the run after NCB busted his drug laboratory at DongriHis name cropped up during an interrogation of his associate the notorious drug supplier Parvez Khan alias Chinku Pathan a relative of the late underworld don Karim Lala After Pathanrsquos arrest the agency recovered MD and a pistol from him After questioning him NCB raided Bhujwalarsquos house and recovered an automatic revolver and Rs 21825600 in cash The agency also busted a drug laboratory on the fourth floor of the same building and seized 569 kg of MD 1 kg of methamphetamine and 6126 kg of ephedrineNCB also found packing material utensils weighing machines and other apparatus used to manufacture drugs from the lab NCB also seized a diary in which codes and some of the networks of the drug cartel were mentioned It also found some brown sugar packets at his residence After inquiring with the accused it was learnt that Bhujwala exported brown sugar MD and other materials by air said NCB sourcesldquoAccording to the diary drugs worth Rs 90 lakh had been sold just a few days before the arrest During the investigation it came to light that he had also invested money in real estaterdquo added the officer The gang allegedly supplied drugs to the UAE Malaysia and Thailand and Bhujwala allegedly has links with drug networks operated by members of the Dawood gang in West Asia and Europe the officer said The NCB arrested five members involved in the drug racket run by Pathan and Bhujwala including disc jockey Rohit Verma alias Rahul Verma and a jeweller from BhiwandiBaby PatankarWoman who introduced mephedrone to MumbaiThe word lsquochachirsquo used to describe lowgrade MD is due to Shashikala lsquoBabyrsquo Patankar the drug queen who introduced mephedrone to Mumbai Babyrsquos life had been marked by tragedy and hardship Despite her difficult circumstances her rise to notoriety and eventual downfall paints a haunting picture of survival and desperationFrom selling milk to working as a housemaid and at a fish stall the Worli Koliwada resident took on various jobs to make ends meet Baliram Pujari known as Ballu Mama played a pivotal role in introducing Baby to the world of drugs particularly brown sugar As a close relative and a compulsive user and peddler of charas he facilitated her entry into the drug trade Moreover the relatively lower police scrutiny faced by women involved in drug peddling in Mumbairsquos slums during the 1980s made Baby a valuable asset for the ring This dynamic allowed them to operate with less suspicion compared to their male counterpartsBabyrsquos involvement in the drug trade led to immense wealth and property ownership but it was not without its consequences The mysterious death of her sisterinlaw Bharti in 1993 followed by the demise of her husband two years later left a trail of tragedy in her wake Despite her rising wealth Baby faced multiple drug possession arrests in the early 2000s prompting her to adopt the risky strategy of becoming a police informantThis dual role allowed her to maintain her drug empire while also aiding law enforcement in apprehending other dealers However her reliance on police connections eventually led to her downfall when her alleged lover Constable Dharmaraj Kalokhe was arrested with a large quantity of drugs This arrest marked the end of Babyrsquos reign Her story is a cautionary tale about the consequences of involvement in illegal activitiesAn intensive manhunt involving 100 police personnel across Mumbai Gujarat and Delhi culminated in the capture of Baby on April 22 2015 as she attempted to enter Mumbai by bus This event marked the definitive end of her drug empire bringing closure to her tumultuous journey in the illicit drug trade Baby resurfaced on the Mumbai policersquos radar following allegations of cheating a customs clearing agent of Rs 198 crore The accusation involves promising to sell 5 kg of gold to the agent at discounted rates in October 2021Lalit PatilDrug kingpin who ran network from hospitalLalit Patil alleged to be a major MD racketeer in Maharashtra was arrested by the PimpriChinchwad police in December 2020 and lodged in Yerawada Central Prison He ran an illegal drug ring from Punersquos Sassoon Hospital where he was admitted in June last year Patil escaped from custody on October 2 sparking allegations that two cabinet ministers helped him fleeOn September 30 last year the Pune city police arrested Subhash Janaki Mandal 29 an aide of Patil He was arrested near the hospital with 171 kg of MD worth Rs 214 crore Mandal during the investigation revealed that he was working for Patil and was looking for his supplyThe police found that Patil was running the network using two mobile phones that were found during a search at the hospital With the help of Rauf Rahim Shaikh 19 a worker at the hospital canteen Patil used to supply drugs to MandalAfter Patilrsquos escape the Sakinaka police under the supervision of DCP Zone X Datta Nalawade raided a factory in the MIDC area of Nashik and seized a large amount of drugs The factory is believed to be owned by Patilrsquos brother Bhushan who was arrested in late October from the Nepal border by the Pune policePrem Prakash SinghNarcotic manufacturer with MSc MBA degreesPrem Prakash Singh came to Mumbai in 1996 hoping to capitalise on his MSc in Organic Chemistry and MBA degrees He excelled in chemical production but a Telegram message from a drug dealer in 2019 changed his life The Dahisar resident who lived in a flat in Nalasopara gifted to him by his fatherinlaw switched to making MD In 2022 the Mumbai Crime Branchrsquos antinarcotic cell busted a drug haul worth Rs 2500 crore and Singh emerged as the sole manufacturer His assets include 10 flats five shops land parcels godowns Rs 35crore investments R5 crore bank deposits benami properties worth croresSinghrsquos journey from freelancing with chemical manufacturers to owning his own firm Shreya Chemicals reflects his ambition However his trajectory took a dark turn when he entered the world of drug manufacturing Leveraging his network Singh had expanded his operations collaborating with individuals like Kiran Kumar who facilitated largescale production of drugs like MD Singhrsquos transformation underscores the complexities of the pharmaceutical sector and the dangers of criminal involvement within itIt seems Singh was running a significant mephedrone operation partnering with one Giriraj Dikshit to produce and distribute the drug Despite his wealth Singh led a modest lifestyle investing mainly in properties His cautious approach limiting transactions and changing delivery locations helped him evade law enforcement The fact that large cash deposits went unnoticed by banks is concerning and suggests potential lapses in financial monitoring2021Year Arif Bhujwala was arrested