Mumbai: In a major update to the Rs 434-crore inter-state drug bust, Mumbai’s Sakinaka Police have uncovered the modus operandi of the gangs involved, a unique 'shirt photo' code used to smuggle mephedrone (MD) between cities.
According to an IANS report on Tuesday, quoting police, two separate gangs worked in tandem to shift the contraband from a drug manufacturing unit in Karnataka's Mysuru to Mumbai. One gang would deliver the consignment to Bengaluru.
The other, unconnected directly, would pick it up using a WhatsApp image of a shirt as a covert identification signal. This photograph-based code was used to avoid verbal communication and detection. The drugs were then transported to Mumbai via road routes.
Powai Godown Drug Bust
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This new revelation comes days after a godown was raided in Powai on July 30, where police seized 21.9 kg of MD and chemicals worth Rs 44 crore from Shop No. 9, Prathmesh Galaxy, near Hiranandani in Powai. The accused had disguised the facility as a colour distribution unit on the ground floor of a residential building.
“We were able to trace the Powai godown based on interrogation. The accused had told neighbouring shopkeepers and building members that they were running a colour distribution business. Under that guise, they were storing drugs, chemicals, and equipment,” said Investigating Officer Dayanand Walave. Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade said further arrests are likely as more names have surfaced during interrogation.
The bust is a continuation of a larger probe that began on April 24 this year, when Sadiq Shaikh (27) was arrested in Sakinaka with 52 grams of MD. That arrest triggered a chain reaction, leading to multiple raids and arrests across Mumbai, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Eventually, on July 26, police raided a large-scale MD manufacturing unit near Belavatha in Mysuru and seized 214 kg of MD, precursor chemicals, and lab equipment worth Rs 390 crore. This included an additional 4.5 kg of MD recovered from Kaman village, Vasai.
So far, eight individuals have been arrested, four from the Mumbai-Gujarat-Mysuru link and four directly associated with the Mysuru factory. Police say three of the arrested have past criminal records, with one facing as many as 16 cases under the NDPS Act and for assault.
