In the ongoing investigation of the mephedrone drug worth Rs 267 crores, the Saki Naka police in Nashik have arrested two more individuals. The arrested persons include a technician and a supplier of raw materials used in the manufacturing of mephedrone. The case involves the seizure of 133 kg of mephedrone in a raid conducted in Shinde Gaon, Nashik, on October 5.
The two individuals, Shivaji Shinde (40), a supplier from Nashik, and Rohitkumar Chaudhary (31), a technician from Delhi, have revealed that the drug manufacturing unit has been operational since December 2022. The unit is owned by Bhushan Patil, the brother of the alleged drug mafia leader Lalit Patil, who is the main accused in the case. Saki Naka police are awaiting Bhushan Patil’s custody from the Pune police.
Bhushan Patil and his associate were apprehended on October 10 in Uttar Pradesh through a joint operation involving the Pune police and the UP Special Task Force. Bhushan is currently in Pune police custody, and his custody period is expected to end on October 16. The two individuals arrested on Saturday, Shinde and Chaudhary, will be in police custody until October 19.
They have revealed that the drugs were manufactured in Patil’s unit in Nashik and then supplied to Mumbai, Thane, Pune, and Nashik. Bhushan is considered the main accused, and he, along with Shinde, was involved in the drug’s production. The Nashik unit was owned by Patil and is central to the case.
The Nashik drug manufacturing unit was discovered approximately a month and a half after the Saki Naka police made the initial three arrests on August 8. These arrests followed a tip-off received by Police Constable Aditya Jadhav. Further investigations based on the information provided by these initial three accused led to the discovery of the drug manufacturing unit in Nashik.
As part of this larger operation, the Pune police, in collaboration with the UP Special Task Force, arrested drug mafia leader Lalit Patil’s brother Bhushan and his associate Abhishekh Balkawade in Uttar Pradesh. They had supplied drugs to another accused, Subhash Mandal, who was arrested at Pune’s Sassoon Hospital premises. Mandal’s arrest helped the Pune police uncover the details of the Nashik unit involved in the drug production.
The Nashik unit was owned by Bhushan Patil, and it is where the drugs were manufactured. The 13th arrested individual, Shivaji Shinde, was involved as a supplier. Following the Nashik unit’s discovery, the police have been making steady progress in the investigation, uncovering links and arrests related to the drug trade.
