On Sunday, the Mumbai crime branch apprehended a 33-year-old individual believed to be a Hawala operator. He is accused of association with drug dealers and wanted suspects related to the Sangli factory drug bust case. According to the police, the arrested individual, Jeshbhai Motabhai, purportedly handled cash proceeds from the sale of mephedrone by drug dealers, passing them on to the alleged mastermind and MD manufacturer, Pravin alias Nagesh Ramchandra Shinde, 34, through Hawala channels.
Shinde would frequent Kalbadevi in Mumbai to retrieve cash from Motabhai. Initial inquiries revealed that Shinde had amassed approximately Rs. 8 crore from Motabhai in recent months. Most recently, he acquired Rs. 3.46 crore and stored it at his friend's residence in Bhiwandi. On March 30, the crime branch conducted a raid at the friend's location, where Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade confirmed the seizure of cash in connection with the case.
CBI's Investigation Reveals Motabhai's Role In Drug Nexus
Shortly after the crime branch unit 7 raided the factory in Sangli and apprehended Shide and his accomplices, Motabhai escaped to his hometown in Deesa city, located in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat. We pursued him, and upon discovering his presence in Mumbai, a police team tracked him down and apprehended him there, Nalawade added.
He has been working with drug dealer and MD manufacturer Shinde for the last two years and had deleted entire data from his mobile phone. We have also identified the drug dealer and his entire nexus and soon we will arrest them, added the officer. He was produced in the court and remanded in police custody, added officer.
Drug Bust Reveals Multi-City Network
On February 16, the Crime Branch arrested a woman selling drugs in Kurla and based on her information, three more people were arrested. During interrogation of these four arrested persons, it was revealed that there was a drug factory in Sangli district.On March 25th, the Crime Branch's Unit Seven uncovered a drug manufacturing operation in Sangli, seizing 126.141 kg of mephedrone (MD) valued at Rs 252.28 crore. Ten individuals, including Shinde, have been apprehended by the Crime Branch and are currently under interrogation.
Shinde, during questioning, admitted to stashing over three crores earned from drug sales at a friend's residence in Bhiwandi.On March 28, the Crime Branch conducted a raid on the residence, where they confiscated a sum of Rs 3.46 crore. During the investigation, it was revealed that Shinde had assisted a friend in need of money a few months earlier. Subsequently, Shinde entrusted the bag of money to his friend for safekeeping temporarily. However, before he could retrieve the bag, the Crime Branch apprehended him.
Details Of MD Drug Production, Sales, and Seized Assets
Accused Shinde was making and selling MD drugs in a factory in Sangli for the last eight months. How many drugs did he actually make and sell and where did he keep or invest the money earned from its sale? The crime branch is investigating this.Praveen Shinde, who is a resident of Sangli, has passed 10th from Uttar Pradesh and took training to make MD from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh two years ago.
After this, he started making and selling drugs by setting up a factory to make MD drugs in Sangli. The Crime Branch has so far seized 126 kg 641.5 grams of MD worth Rs 252.28 crore, 25.07 grams of gold jewellery, a Skoda company car used in the crime and Rs 3.62 crore in cash.
