A Special Court in Thane on Tuesday convicted Parvez Naserullah Khan alias Chinku Pathan, a close aide of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, along with Dongri-based drug lord Mohammad Arif Bhujwala in the 2021 multi-crore synthetic drugs case busted by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).
The verdict brought to a close one of the region’s most high-profile narcotics investigations, launched after a series of late-night raids led by then NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede in January 2021.
The court convicted five accused under stringent provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, while acquitting five others after finding insufficient incriminating evidence against them. Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Irani presented final arguments.
How the operation unfolded
The probe began after NCB officials intercepted Chinku Pathan in Ghansoli with a commercial quantity of Mephedrone (MD) and heroin. During interrogation, Pathan revealed details of a synthetic drug manufacturing setup operating out of an apartment in Dongri, where Bhujwala was said to be running a clandestine laboratory.
Bhujwala escaped during the raid by climbing down the building’s scaffolding but was later arrested in Mangaon in Raigad district. The raids led to the seizure of more than 12 kg of narcotics, automatic firearms, hawala-coded ledgers, and cash amounting to over Rs 2.18 crore.
By the numbers
Drugs seized include:
>> Mephedrone (MD)
>> Methamphetamine
>> Ephedrine
>> Heroin
>> Over 12 kg of synthetic narcotics
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