Mumbai: In a major preventive action against repeat drug offenders, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 29-year-old drug trafficker under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, lodging him in Kolhapur Central Jail for one year.
The accused has been identified as Surajkumar Ramvilas Prajapati (29), a resident of Albert Compound, Vasari Hill, Shankar Nagar, near Rustamjee Tower, Goregaon (West).
Detention Unusual During Elections; Rare One-Year Custody Ordered
While preventive detention of habitual offenders during election seasons is common to avoid threats to law and order, such detentions typically last only a few days and the individuals are released after polling.
However, in a rare and unprecedented move, the Mumbai Police have detained Prajapati for an entire year and shifted him to Kalamba Central Jail, Kolhapur.
Exceptional Provision Invoked; Action Comparable to Iqbal Mirchi Case
The action was taken under the stringent PIT-NDPS Act, 1988, a provision invoked only in exceptional cases to isolate habitual offenders from society.
A senior Mumbai Police officer said a similar action under the PIT-NDPS Act was previously taken against Iqbal Memon alias Iqbal Mirchi, Dawood Ibrahim’s key drug handler. After Mirchi, this is considered the second major preventive detention under the Act in recent years.
Seven Drug Trafficking Cases Registered Against Prajapati
According to police, Prajapati has seven ganja trafficking cases registered against him:
Four cases at Malad Police Station
One case at Goregaon Police Station
Two cases with the Kandivali Unit of the ANC
He was recently granted bail in the Kandivali Unit case, but investigations revealed he continued operating in narcotics trafficking despite multiple bail orders.
Detention Proposal Approved by Home Department
Given the ongoing threat posed by the accused and his repeated return to drug peddling, the ANC submitted a proposal to detain him under the PIT-NDPS Act to the Competent Authority Principal Secretary (Special), Home Department, Government of Maharashtra.
The proposal was approved, and an official detention order was issued.
Following the approval, Prajapati was taken into custody and on December 6, 2025, lodged in Kalamba Central Prison, Kolhapur, for preventive detention of one year.
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