Navi Mumbai Crime Branch Unit 3 has arrested two more people from Mumbai for providing raw materials for production of drugs meant to be sold to organisers of New Year parties.
The accused, identified as Jagjeet Prasad Prajapati (35), who provided raw material, and Hamza Bittu (36), who looked after the sales, were arrested from Mumbai by the police this week.
Meanwhile, another accused, identified as Kiran Rajguru, was arrested by Chakan police in another offence and would be soon transferred to Navi Mumbai police.
Last week, the crime branch police arrested a man, who is the husband of a lady sarpanch attached to Peasants and Workers Party (PWP). The accused, identified as Dheeraj Mhatre (35), also a party worker himself, had provided the land to the accused for setting up a unit to manufacture the drug and also with the electricity connection to the land. With the arrest of Mhatre, police say there are people trying to give it a political angle to the whole case.
“We have been randomly contacted by people who suggest that we arrest other people from the PWP. Some also name sons of renowned party workers as the accused without any basis. We ask them to provide some proof since none of the arrested accused would have named them. But the people contacting us themselves would not have any proof,” a police officer privy to the investigations said.
On December 31, the Crime Branch Unit 3, Anti-Narcotics Cell and Human Trafficking Cell jointly set a trap and arrested Kalim Rafiq Khamkar (39) from Nere village of Panvel. He had come to supply drugs for parties being organised at farm houses. Following his arrest, Zaki Afroz Pittu (33) and Subhash Raghupati Patil (40) were also arrested. The trio was trying to sell MD (methaqualone powder) weighing 2.5kg worth ₹2.53Cr, which was seized by the police. The factory was started in Poynad by the accused for making MD powder. It was raided and sealed.
Surjitt Sahani
