Mumbai, August 27, 2026: The special NDPS court has on Thursday sentenced six accused, including accused Sajid Electricwala and Bhanudas More alias Bhavesh Patel, to 20 years of imprisonment after finding them guilty of running a Mephedrone (MD)-making unit in a flat in Oshiwara in June 2015. The ATS had recovered 150 kg of MD in finished and unfinished form, while even 5 grams of the contraband is considered a commercial quantity.
Six Convicted In MD Case
The special judge Shudhirkumar Murlidharrao Bukke, on Tuesday, convicted six accused, namely Sachin Dilip Bagul, Sajid Yusuf Electricwala, Chandrakant Krushna Katade, Rahul Ramesh Salunke, Ayub Tafsir Khan alias Lala, Bhanudas More alias Bhavesh Patel. They were sentenced to twenty years of imprisonment and a hefty fine.
As per the prosecution case, on the basis of the information on June 29, 2015, the officers from ATS nabbed Baghul near Hotel Shreeji, Oshiwara, with 1 kg of MD. After his interrogation, the officers reached the flat where Electricwala, along with other accused, were involved in making the drugs from various chemicals.
The police raided a flat at Ekdant Building in Oshiwara, where the officers recovered 25.50 kg of MD, 25 kg of unfinished MD and 100 litres of chemical said to be used in the preparation of MD.
Prosecution Seeks Enhanced Punishment
The special public prosecutor Avdhut Chimalkar had sought to invoke the charges of Section 31 of the NDPS Act (enhanced punishments for repeat offenders) against Electricwala and More.
It was argued that More was last week convicted by the special court in Thane for running a drug-making factory in Panvel. A similar case against the members of the group is also registered in Pune.
Besides, the prosecution pointed out that while on bail, Electricwala was kidnapped by members of the underworld wherein it is said that he was kidnapped as he failed to deliver the consignment of the drug he had allegedly taken money for.
The court, however, rejected the prayer and said it was anyways inclined to impose a sentence of minimum punishment on the accused.
The defence lawyers, on the other hand, pleaded for leniency and the accused too requested lesser punishment. The family members of the accused who were present in the court also prayed to the court for leniency as some of the accused are young and have small kids.
The court said that, “if you have kids, there are small kids out there also, all the colleges are suffering from the drug trafficking. The accused have not committed an offence that can be viewed leniently.”
Court Rejects Plea For Leniency
“If accused commits murder single person is affected, in a case of drug trafficking, it affects not only young members of family or society it is an offence against the public at large,” the court said while refusing to grant any leniency to the accused.
While pronouncing the verdict, the court noted that the accused committed the offence in a well-planned manner. The court has noted that they had presented themselves as running a factory for making medicine to cure Malaria and used a laboratory in Gujarat, namely Ankaleswhar Research and Analytical Infrastructure Ltd, to test their pilot product. They were trained there, the court noted.
Roles Of Accused Examined
It is observed that Baghul was not only found in possession of 1 kg of finished product of Mephedrone but was also involved in taking the place on rent where the unit was set up. The other accused Katade and Salunke were also found involved in the process.
For Electricwala, the court has said, he indulged himself in training in making the drug with More. Besides, he also indulged in the act of intimidation of witnesses.
The court has noted that Electricwala threatened the prosecution witness with the aid of associates from the underworld, for which a separate case was lodged against him by the ATS.
The court has named Lala as the kingpin of the racket as he is said to have provided all the financial assistance to Electricwala for training as well as for setting up the factory.
“if he had not provided such a huge amount of money, more than 69 lakhs as duly proved by the prosecution, no such manufacturing process would have taken place. He is the backbone of the crime because without financial support no such offence can take place,” the court said, holding Lala guilty of the charges.
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As against More, the court said, he is a chemical engineer and was involved in procurement of the raw material and collected stored chemicals. The court referred to the testimonies of the witnesses and said that his role was in procuring methanol, a precursor chemical essential for illicit manufacture of mephedrone.
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