Two individuals who had faced academic setbacks as Class 10 dropouts have been apprehended for operating a sophisticated drug manufacturing operation. Rahul Gawli (32) and Atul Gawli (28), both originally from Solapur, were taken into custody by the crime branch on Saturday. The authorities have successfully confiscated a significant quantity of Mephedrone and raw materials valued at an astonishing Rs 116 crore.
Rahul and Atul embarked on their illicit enterprise after gaining knowledge of chemicals while working at a pharmaceutical company. To facilitate their illegal operations, the duo rented a 2,100-square-foot factory in Solapur MIDC, where they were covertly manufacturing mephedrone, a potent and dangerous synthetic drug.
Inside the factory, law enforcement discovered notebooks containing chemical formulas and the manufacturing process for mephedrone, further underscoring the extent of their operation.
According to DCP (Crime Branch) Raj Tilak Roushan, Mumbai Crime Branch (Unit IX) apprehended the two culprits with a sizable cache of 8 kg of Mephedrone worth Rs 16 crore. Additionally, nearly 50 to 60 kg of raw mephedrone, with an estimated value of approximately Rs 100 crore, was seized from their Solapur drug manufacturing facility. Initial intelligence indicated that the duo was set to deliver a shipment of Mephedrone in the Khar area. Subsequent investigations and the suspects’ interrogations ultimately led the police to the Solapur-based factory. Inspector Daya Nayak led a team in conducting a raid, which revealed the presence of three laboratories within the factory capable of producing 4 kg of Mephedrone simultaneously. The illegal substances were confiscated, and the factory was immediately sealed.
Nayak disclosed that the choice of renting a factory in the MIDC area was a deliberate strategy by the culprits, intended to minimize suspicion, as the presence of a factory would naturally involve chemical odors. Their operations had been ongoing for approximately seven months. The two suspects themselves delivered the contraband to Mumbai.
Following their apprehension, the police filed an FIR at Khar police station and subsequently placed the two accused under arrest. They were produced before a local court, which remanded them to police custody until
October 19.
