Mumbai: The Vanrai police have arrested a sixth accused in connection with the alleged deaths of two students due to an overdose of the ecstasy drug at the NESCO Exhibition Ground in Goregaon East. The accused was arrested late on Monday night for allegedly supplying drugs to the deceased.
Anand Patel in Custody
The sixth accused has been identified as Anand Patel, 24, a building contractor residing in Kalyan West. He was produced before the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Borivali on Tuesday, which remanded him to police custody till April 16.
The event, titled ‘999999999 Music Concert’, was held at NESCO Exhibition Centre, hall no. 05, Goregaon East, on April 11 between 9.30 pm and 12.30 am (April 12). Two MBA students who attended the concert died. The deceased have been identified as Shreya Rai, 24, and Bismatsingh Amarjitsingh Bhasin, 28. Initially, the Vanrai police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR). However, after discovering that the participants had allegedly consumed an overdose of drugs, an FIR was registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Police Statement on Probe
Mahesh Chimate, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 13), said, “NESCO and Inspiring Tie, a private company, jointly organised this programme. During the event, three participants suffered uneasiness and were hospitalised. Among them, one person died, while another remains in critical condition and is undergoing treatment. A case has been registered at Vanrai police station. So far, six persons have been arrested, and further investigation is underway.”
The police are investigating a possible drug distribution network, underage alcohol access, and serious safety lapses at the venue.
Five Other Accused Named
The other accused have been identified as Raunak Khandelwal, 25, a student from Grant Road; Akash Samal, 31, a businessman from Andheri West; Sunny Jain, 31, employed in a private company and residing in Malad East; Balakrishnan Kurup, 46, Vice President (Events and Exhibitions), residing in Andheri West; and Pratik Pandey, 24, a student from Kalyan. All the accused were arrested on Monday morning and remanded to police custody till April 16.
On April 12 at around 2.30 am, the police received information from Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari East that two women, Sheetal Salavi, 25, and Shreya Rai, 24, had been admitted after experiencing breathing difficulties and losing consciousness during the music concert. Rai was later shifted to Bombay Hospital, where she died during treatment. Salavi was also moved to Bombay Hospital and is currently undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit.
Second Victim's Death
At around 7 am, the police received another call from Lifeline Hospital in Goregaon West stating that Bismatsingh Amarjitsingh Bhasin, 28, had died during treatment. A resident of Churchgate, Bhasin had attended the concert and allegedly consumed alcohol before dancing at the event. After the concert, he complained of severe cramps in his hands and feet and was admitted to the hospital, where he later died.
The police recorded the statement of Sheetal Salavi while she was undergoing treatment. In her statement, she said, “We were around 25 college friends who went to NESCO, Goregaon East, for a techno event at around 9.30 pm. We had purchased passes online. After entering the venue, Raunak Khandelwal gave me a yellow pill, which I consumed with water. We stayed at the event till around midnight. At that time, Shreya had also taken a similar pill.”
Earlier Pill Consumption
She further stated that Shreya appeared normal earlier in the night and that they were dancing together. She added that the pill was believed to be ecstasy and that she had consumed a similar pill at an event in Bandra East in October. Salavi and Khandelwal are final-year students at Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in South Mumbai.
Police said that the organisers of the event — Vihan alias Akash Samal of Inspiring Tie Production, based in Nagpur, and Sunny Jain, associated with NESCO — were allegedly aware that some attendees would carry and consume drugs. Despite being responsible for security checks, they allegedly allowed such activities and even facilitated entry for such individuals for financial gain, which led to the deaths of the two participants.
The investigation has further revealed that the accused Pratik Pandey told police that Anand Patel had been supplying drug pills to him via the Porter app and also through an intermediary on two occasions.
NESCO issued a letter on April 13 to the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange, stating: “On April 11, an event was organised at the NESCO Exhibition Centre, during which an unfortunate incident occurred. The company is fully cooperating with the concerned authorities.”
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